Call number
B FINNEGAN
Collection
Publication
Penguin Press (2015), Edition: 1st, 464 pages
Description
Surfing only looks like a sport. To initiates, it is something else entirely: a beautiful addiction, a demanding course of study, a morally dangerous pastime, a way of life. Raised in California and Hawaii, Finnegan started surfing as a child. He has chased waves all over the world, wandering for years through the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, Africa. A bookish boy, and then an excessively adventurous young man, he went on to become a writer and war reporter. Barbarian Days takes us deep into unfamiliar worlds, some of them right under our noses -- off the coasts of New York and San Francisco. It immerses the reader in the edgy camaraderie of close male friendships annealed in challenging waves. Finnegan shares stories of life in a whites-only gang in a tough school in Honolulu even while his closest friend was a native Hawaiian surfer. He shows us a world turned upside down for kids and adults alike by the social upheavals of the 1960s. He details the intricacies of famous waves and his own apprenticeships to them. Youthful folly -- he drops LSD while riding huge Honolua Bay, on Maui -- is served up with rueful humor. He and a buddy, their knapsacks crammed with reef charts, bushwhack through Polynesia. They discover, while camping on an uninhabited island in Fiji, one of the world's greatest waves. As Finnegan's travels take him ever farther afield, he becomes an improbable anthropologist: unpicking the picturesque simplicity of a Samoan fishing village, dissecting the sexual politics of Tongan interactions with Americans and Japanese, navigating the Indonesian black market while nearly succumbing to malaria. Throughout, he surfs.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member ProfH
Occasionally the non-surfer might get a bit tired of yet another description of a wave, but there's a lot more to Finnegan's work. Insights into his development as a writer, his relationship to others, and towards the end the balance between his family, career, and passion is what shines in this
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memoir. Finnegan crafts some beautiful sentences and his self-awareness is keeps you interested for more insights as soon as you get through another session description. Show Less
LibraryThing member yhgail
I have never surfed, indeed I've only been in the ocean a few times. yet despite my own lack of interest in the sport I found the author's story of his life in waves to be interesting and compelling, like being caught in a building swell I think.
the author is just a year or so older than I am, so
This is the story of a life long obsession. It is interesting how such an obsession molded the author's life.
There is also a sadness to this story, beneath the surface. I am not sure how I feel about it.
the author is just a year or so older than I am, so
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his story and the social, cultural, historical background was also interesting to me.This is the story of a life long obsession. It is interesting how such an obsession molded the author's life.
There is also a sadness to this story, beneath the surface. I am not sure how I feel about it.
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LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
I wonder at what point in his storied life Bill Finnegan realized that surfing would always be a part of it? When he was younger it seemed that surfing equaled his in-the-moment self, or something he did selfishly, while his other pursuits were part of his forward-thinking, worldly self. It's an
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interesting dichotomy. Show Less
LibraryThing member Elizabeth_Foster
Loved Barbarian Days. This absorbing meditation on waves and those who chase and surf them gave me a serious case of wanderlust and made me view the ocean in a different way.
LibraryThing member annbury
This is a great read. Finnegan wrote a two part piece for the New Yorker Magazine 25 0r 26 years ago and this is the book that was supposed to result. Most (but not all) of the New Yorker piece is here in a version called "Against Dereliction" The rest of it concerns the man's surfing life,
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starting with his life in Honolulu when he was a teenager; his father was a producer of exotic films and TV shows and he took his family to California to Hawaii to NYC as his career progressed. Finnegan is fairly hard on himself for being a lowlife bozo who only cares about the water, but the reader will not be so harsh. He is very good on the beach bum life in Australia and Indonesia where he spent his twenties chasing waves. He is also pretty sensible about getting old. There is nothing here about his other obsessions, including Somalia and South Africa where he covered wars. In fact, one of my friends or more properly my wife's friends was a human rights worker in Somalia and I think she met Finnegan there. He is very good about Australia in the 70s and has not got a racist bone in his body. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
I knew next to nothing about surfing before reading Barbarian Days, but ended feeling like I had surfed around the world. That's a dangerous assumption. But it's being hailed the best surfing memoir ever written, as close as art can come to the experience. More so a great biography following a
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boomer born in 1952 to the present as he passes through the decades. More than about Finnegan there is a large cast of fascinating people and places. At heart though, this is about surfing, something I will never do but now have a deeper appreciation, understanding and respect thanks to Finnegan's generous memoir. Show Less
LibraryThing member adrianburke
Needs to be shorter by 100 pages. Too much surf describing. A leaner book would have done justice to the subject.
LibraryThing member zmagic69
I always wish I had been born and grew up by the ocean, and had learned to surf. This book is really two stories in one. A memoir of the author, and a history of his surfing. The surfing details are so well described that even a non surfer, eats a taste of what drives people to surf. The only flaw
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for me was that the author comes off a bit pretentious in his writing and use of big words, to describe or make a point (it is understandable, he has worked for the New Yorker magazine since 1987) and is a bit stubborn, it's his way or the wrong way, his belief or the wrong belief. Otherwise this is a fantastic book, both from a surfing perspective, as well as an explanation of what shaped William Finnegan, what influenced him, and how he got to where he is today. Show Less
LibraryThing member dbsovereign
The non-fiction _Moby Dick_ of surfing and a pensive exploration of the author's own limits. One finds oneself absorbing an enormous amount of surfing vocabulary and marveling at Finnegan's seemingly photographic memory for each of the waves he has ridden. He also shares a whole range of thoughts
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and emotions that he goes through as he either artfully manages to stay afloat or get carried under. Life is an ocean, surfing a way to deal with it. Show Less
LibraryThing member ntgntg
2/7/2016 8:01 AM I keep reading good reviews about this.
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This is the 70th book which won the Pulitzer prize for biography which I have read. And if the author had spent more time on his interesting life and less on his obsessive addiction to surfing, which I became so sick of hearing about, it could have been a decent autobiography, although I certainly
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was repelled by much in his life--his early abandonment of his Faith, his fornicating, his adulterous behavior, his use of drugs such as LSD, his blithe unconcern that his unborn child was aborted, etc. I know that this book was to be about surfing and have only myself to blame for reading it just because it won a Pulitzer Prize but I could not help but blame whoever picked the book for that prize for inflicting on dumb people like me such a book. I was glad to get to the last page. Show Less
LibraryThing member jphamilton
I'm still not going surfing tomorrow, but this was a very well-written look back at the part that surfing has occupied in Finnegan's life. His writing brought the moods of the ocean so alive and gave the reader a glimpse into one surf-loving dude. I need to ponder this book a little more before I
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can write more. Show Less
LibraryThing member bobbieharv
I'm as entranced by waves as he is, and I've never read so many ways to describe them. I loved these parts, even though there were so many of them.
I loved this book, and loved his writing, but it did seem to go on and on. I think too much was shoehorned in, held together by the constant surfing
This book could have been three books, which I think would have been better. I would have read all three avidly.
I loved this book, and loved his writing, but it did seem to go on and on. I think too much was shoehorned in, held together by the constant surfing
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descriptions: his childhood, his girlfriends, his friends, his travels, his journalism, his writing, his daughter. So much that, oddly, I kept losing track of his fascinating life. I'd like to know more about the personal side of him (for example, his marriage and the birth of his daughter were quite perfunctory), as well as his career. This book could have been three books, which I think would have been better. I would have read all three avidly.
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LibraryThing member LivelyLady
The author chronicles his lifetime of following his passion around the world...surfing. The writing is very good, but since I am not a surfer, I could not appreciate that part. I enjoyed his descriptions of the places, people and food along the way. I was surprised to hear what a good secret
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surfing off Montauk in NY is. Who would have thought that. So the technical part was dense, but the rest enjoyable. Show Less
LibraryThing member muddyboy
If you told me that I would read a 700 page plus book with the core subject surfing and that I would actually enjoy it - I would have said you were nuts. But, I did and I am a land lover that have never surfed in my life. I read it because it won awards so I thought what the heck? There is a lot
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about surfing but there is also much about the author's life and varied geographical locations across the world primarily during the 1970's and 1980's with all the cultural uniqueness of that era. Great book! Show Less
LibraryThing member kenno82
I read this immediately after 'Stoked' by Bob McTavish, a character referenced in Finnegan's book. It acted as a perfect companion.
LibraryThing member sblock
Good writing, and I especially enjoyed the descriptions of surfing culture in Hawaii. But could have used a glossary of surf terms. Still don't know what a goofyfoot is.
LibraryThing member dele2451
I'm not a surfer, but I really enjoyed Finnegan's beautiful descriptions of the oceans, waves, and shorelines he's explored. This is the ultimate insider's look at the mysterious surfing culture from someone who has truly spent a lifetime living it on a global scale. The pics are a very welcome
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addition too. Show Less
LibraryThing member mkapij
You might think a book discussion moving from surfing location to surfing location over more than half a lifetime through 400+ pages while mainly discussing nuanced aspects of waves that most of us can’t even imagine is not a recipe for a successful novel. But those “Pullitzer Prize” stickers
So that is really the gist, but of course it’s layered with a few other things. While the author is nearly-maniacal about surfing, not in an outward way, after all he is a reputable New Yorker writer among other things, this is munch more just an autobiography, its a self-discovery, and his assimilation of a lifetime journey integrating not just the dramatic ocean nature he has explored but all the people that feed in to it that make us, us.
What struck me most was the reminders of recent times past, particularly the four year globe circling adventure he takes in search of waves. Yep, no internet, no cell phones, writing letters, months off the grid (whatever that meant before), from an island in Fiji where you discover perhap the perfect yet. Life, was like that.
Those stories, added to his formative ones from attending school and surfing in Hawaii, serve to connect the rest of the book to the end, allowing the author to reveal and understand himself and the circle of life. At the end you may find you too have unexpectedly learned a new language of waves, but more so how our deepest passions carry us unexpectedly forward, and we may not see ever see our own truths until they have been allowed to run their course.
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sure have a way of sucking you in.So that is really the gist, but of course it’s layered with a few other things. While the author is nearly-maniacal about surfing, not in an outward way, after all he is a reputable New Yorker writer among other things, this is munch more just an autobiography, its a self-discovery, and his assimilation of a lifetime journey integrating not just the dramatic ocean nature he has explored but all the people that feed in to it that make us, us.
What struck me most was the reminders of recent times past, particularly the four year globe circling adventure he takes in search of waves. Yep, no internet, no cell phones, writing letters, months off the grid (whatever that meant before), from an island in Fiji where you discover perhap the perfect yet. Life, was like that.
Those stories, added to his formative ones from attending school and surfing in Hawaii, serve to connect the rest of the book to the end, allowing the author to reveal and understand himself and the circle of life. At the end you may find you too have unexpectedly learned a new language of waves, but more so how our deepest passions carry us unexpectedly forward, and we may not see ever see our own truths until they have been allowed to run their course.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookNeurd
My brother surfs and I wanted to get to know his passion a little bit better, so when he finished reading this book and passed it onto me, I dove in. I enjoyed the beginning, but found that it quickly became repetitive. Also, it was less about surfing and more about the self-centred, privileged
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life and exploits of the author. I bailed on page 168. Show Less
LibraryThing member Castlelass
“Everything out there was disturbingly interlaced with everything else. Waves were the playing field. They were the goal. They were the object of your deepest desire and adoration. At the same time, they were your adversary, your nemesis, even your mortal enemy. The surf was your refuge, your
The author has been obsessed with surfing since he was an adolescent in the 1960s. This book is a memoir of his surfing adventures and their impact on his life. He travels to many parts of the world, including Indonesia, Oceania, Australia, South Africa, and Portugal. He surfs where he lives in the US – Hawaii, California, and New York. This book is well-written and provides lots of local color for countries around the world. The author features several of his fellow surfers and eccentric characters.
There is a vast amount of information contained in this book of the many factors that impact the decision to go out into the elements, such as currents, wind direction, wave types, and reefs. It gets extremely detailed in places. He explains surfing techniques, boards to use in differing conditions, and the surfing culture.
His obsession seems to be partly based on the endless search for the perfect wave and partly on the exhilaration of living life at the edge of danger. It is a book of journeys around the world and journeys in life. It is a story of “man against the sea” and knowing how far to push one’s own capabilities. His descriptions of surfing fiascos are riveting. He almost drowned several times. In these sections, I found myself holding my breath to find out if he would make it, even though he obviously survived to write this book.
This is not a book about surfing competitions. Nor is it about finding the largest waves. It is about how an obsession with surfing that accompanied the author in each of six decades of his life. Pick this one up if you enjoy stories about extreme sports or adventuring.
Show More
happy hiding place, but it was also a hostile wilderness—a dynamic, indifferent world.”The author has been obsessed with surfing since he was an adolescent in the 1960s. This book is a memoir of his surfing adventures and their impact on his life. He travels to many parts of the world, including Indonesia, Oceania, Australia, South Africa, and Portugal. He surfs where he lives in the US – Hawaii, California, and New York. This book is well-written and provides lots of local color for countries around the world. The author features several of his fellow surfers and eccentric characters.
There is a vast amount of information contained in this book of the many factors that impact the decision to go out into the elements, such as currents, wind direction, wave types, and reefs. It gets extremely detailed in places. He explains surfing techniques, boards to use in differing conditions, and the surfing culture.
His obsession seems to be partly based on the endless search for the perfect wave and partly on the exhilaration of living life at the edge of danger. It is a book of journeys around the world and journeys in life. It is a story of “man against the sea” and knowing how far to push one’s own capabilities. His descriptions of surfing fiascos are riveting. He almost drowned several times. In these sections, I found myself holding my breath to find out if he would make it, even though he obviously survived to write this book.
This is not a book about surfing competitions. Nor is it about finding the largest waves. It is about how an obsession with surfing that accompanied the author in each of six decades of his life. Pick this one up if you enjoy stories about extreme sports or adventuring.
Show Less
LibraryThing member annbury
This is a great read. Finnegan wrote a two part piece for the New Yorker Magazine 25 0r 26 years ago and this is the book that was supposed to result. Most (but not all) of the New Yorker piece is here in a version called "Against Dereliction" The rest of it concerns the man's surfing life,
Show More
starting with his life in Honolulu when he was a teenager; his father was a producer of exotic films and TV shows and he took his family to California to Hawaii to NYC as his career progressed. Finnegan is fairly hard on himself for being a lowlife bozo who only cares about the water, but the reader will not be so harsh. He is very good on the beach bum life in Australia and Indonesia where he spent his twenties chasing waves. He is also pretty sensible about getting old. There is nothing here about his other obsessions, including Somalia and South Africa where he covered wars. In fact, one of my friends or more properly my wife's friends was a human rights worker in Somalia and I think she met Finnegan there. He is very good about Australia in the 70s and has not got a racist bone in his body. Show Less
LibraryThing member breic
I enjoyed the New Yorker excerpt, but had thought that that was plenty. But the book has so much more. It is really good, but a bit too much for me.
Awards
Pulitzer Prize (Winner — 2016)
William Hill Sports Book of the Year (Winner — 2016)
British Sports Book Award (Winner — 2016)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2015)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Non-Fiction — 2015)
Pages
464
ISBN
1594203474 / 9781594203473