Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World by Glenn Stout - Paperback Great Condition Nonfiction, Sport, Inspirational Description: By age twenty, at the height of the Jazz age, Trudy Ederle was the most accomplished swimmer in the world. She'd won Olympic gold and set a host of world records. But the greatest challenge remained: the Englished Channel. Only a few swimmers, none of them women, had ever made the treacherous 21 mile crossing. Trudy's failed first attempt seemed to confirm what many naysayers believed: no woman could possibly accomplish such a thing. In 1926, Ederle proved them wrong. As her German immigrant parents cheered her, and her sister and fellow swimmer, Meg, helped fashion both her scandalous two-piece swimsuit and leak-proof goggles, Trudy was determined to succeed.