Barbarian Days

yea, i gave up on it halfway tho. dude must have some loot to get around the world like he did, which i couldn't relate to. i jumped on All for a Few Perfect Waves like right after, much better IMO

 

I just almost finished reading it myself. I have stalled out after he got home from the big trip around the world in a continuos direction. He is chilling in Ocean Beach. The book is good as far as the surfing and stuff, but he talks way too much about books and authors that are so not relevant to us anymore. Or, that they may be but I have never read any of this stuff. People today watch TV, they dont read 60,70,80 year old novels just to get the authors take and stuff. So as far as they referring to old novels and stuff, that was lost on me. So I did a lot of skimming in some sections, but other sections were real good. The book gets like a "C" as a grade from me. I'm sure there are much more interesting surfing books that dont leave you scratching your head after some paragraphs. Sometimes I was like "WTF is he talking about". reading is cool, but has its place... on the shelf

 

I too am just finishing it up. I took it on my Indo trip and read about 1/4 of it, then put it down until about a month ago. Foamies, I was loathing him too during the book in many instances. He would digress into "issues and current events" and reflect on literary history and journalism way too much IMO.

However, I was able to get past that and stay pretty engaged. I really enjoyed the beginning and his time on Oahu. Also, the premise of just leaving it all behind and traveling for surfing really got me. The way he did it was really cool I thought. He really immersed himself into each culture he visited, which is something I like to do when traveling. The other part was his full description of each of the waves he surfed (and the fact that he was surfing them nearly alone and in some instances one of the first few). Some of the waves I have surfed and many I have not...seeing his descriptions of the ones I have surfed really helped me open up to his descriptions of the ones I have not surfed.

He would get a bit kooked out on some "surf jargon" definitions...clearly trying to keep "non-surfers" interested I guess.

I would give the book a B.

Maybe I will pick up all for a few perfect waves next...

 

Good book. I liked the fact that he talked a lot about his travels and relationships as much as the surf. Kind of a journey through time with his life as the vehicle.

 

I read it - decent book.

If he were to try and attempt that lifestyle for such a long time in today's world, I think he would have had a career afterwards of working at Starbucks and a blog only his parents read.

I found it hilarious that he now lives in NYC, doesn't surf much, and probably posts on swellinfo all day.

 

All surf related books are written by phags for phags.
No exception.
And if you differ in your opinion, YOU are then a phag. So fvck you in advance......

 

What up salz? How you been mang?

 

"It just made for lots of eye roll and overly dramatic moments when all I wanted to hear was about the peeling rights in Portugal."

Kind of where I'm coming from. Also, on the self pity, there where times where he was really questioning what he was doing. I think we all have done that in life (at least I know I have...especially when I was doing nothing but surfing in my 20s.). But, he was pulling it off and eventually found his way I guess. Did not seem like he regretted his time away from "society".

That balance took many years it seems. In the meantime, he caught a ton of quality waves!

 

I bailed halfway, he was way too self obsessed. Try reading "Kings of Cool" by Don Winslow, if you want a fun read, some surf, some sex some drugs, but superior writing. It's his prequel to "Savages", but better in my opinion. "Barbarian Days" did describe some nice waveriding in exotic locales, but there are much better travelogues written over the years. I brought up Kings of Cool because Savages is synonymous with Barbarians and my mind went there, then to Kings of Cool, which is a blast.

 

Laird Hamilton, Force of Nature is the worst book of all time. I'd rather sit in silence in a padded white room than look through that book.

 

is it wrong that I think I love you? looks like a clean swell heading your way for thurs?

 

Not a surf book, but read shadow divers. Firkin amazing read.

 

I tried to read that book a couple of years ago but bailed after about a third of it. Maybe guys would like it better than women would like it I don't know. But I really like the book Surfing Coldwater by Gordon Gordinier if you're looking for a well-written book about this guy in New England who loves the heck out of cold water surfing.

 

living in N.E. and surfing R.I. a lot. I loved it! hope ill be able to surf like that when I'm in my 60's

 

Mr&Mrs C prefer Art

 

bout a week ago my friend said to me while in the water i gotta read it after he's done with it. looking forward to it