I loved it so much, in fact, that I wanted to include some of it in the novel, which is why Dr. I’m not a scientist and some of that material was challenging for me to understand and digest, but I loved all of it. I read academic articles on the haenyeo and headaches, their thyroid function, the way they breathe, how and why they get the bends, and the effects of weights on their hips. Was the ability of these women to withstand cold water genetic or an adaptation? I can’t help myself here, but I had to dive in. Years ago, back when I first learned about the haenyeo but long before I’d decided to write about them, I found an article detailing a three-year study of the women divers published in the late 1960s in Scientific American. All this absolutely fascinated (and terrified) me, especially as a person who looks at a heated pool and starts to shiver.

There are stories of women jumping off boats and dying on impact from the shock of the cold on their hearts.

Can you imagine diving in the waters off Vladivostok in winter, wearing a little homemade cotton suit? This water is so cold that the only thing that keeps it from freezing is the salt level. Historically, the haenyeo had the greatest ability of any human group on earth to withstand cold water. Were there any surprises for you as you conducted your research?Īll of it was a surprise! And intriguing, fascinating, and mind-bending. After all, diving was part of their everyday lives. Your protagonists, the female Korean freediving community called the haenyeo, have unique body temperatures, and you write that it surprised them to learn this. You start the book off with a study about body temperature that I found so interesting. You can also take advantage of our curbside delivery program, or just stop in-we're still open as of March 18 and have put additional sanitation measures in place to ensure your safety and the safety of our staff. If you already ordered your copy of The Island of Sea Women, or are looking for reading recommendations for the next few weeks, give us a call! We're offering $5 priority shipping right now, and free shipping on orders over $50. It's not the same, we know, but right now it's for the best. Today, we're here with the next best thing-an exclusive Q&A between Lisa See and Valerie, all about her fabulous book The Island of Sea Women. We've even added a few photos from Lisa's last visit to give the post that Blue-Willow-Bookshop-event feel. On a store programming note, we're devastated not to host so many of our favorite authors in the weeks ahead-we were looking forward to great conversations with authors like Ann Patchett, Angie Thomas, Mac Barnett, and Lisa See. During times like this, we really do find that there's nothing quite like the comfort of a good book. Friends, what a month we've had here at the shop, in Houston, and as a country.

The sea women book