Barbarian Days

Barbarian Days was an awesome escape for me during this very flat summer. I read it on my lunch break every day. The imagery he utilizes is awesome. Almost makes you feel like you're there.

As much as I would want to wander endlessly like Bill, I don't think I could do it. I need more structure in my life. For a shorter period of time though, I think exploring the way he did would just be badass. So many different geographic locations, cultures and waves.

If you are looking for other books:

Hound of the Sea by Garrett McNamera was pretty good. Not quite as intriguing as barbarian days but similiar.

Wave Riding by Neil Grunig. It was short but a good read. Was my first surfing-related book that amplified my stoke as newbie.

The Wave by Susan Casey. It's mainly about laird Hamilton but also big waves in general. It's not bad, only a quarter of the way in. Not quite as exciting to me but it provides an interesting look into big waves.

The History of Surfing. My mom just got me this for a birthday gift. It's 500 pages of text and pictures. This is a book I think every legitimate surfer should own. From what I can tell it details all of the most relevant pieces of surf history. I'm honestly not much of a reader but this literally has my full interest. Highly recommend it.

 

I had incorrectly typed the title, and such is why I could not find it. That latter fact had been bothering me. I finally resolved the matter. I have no earthly idea what "erotic pulp novels" happen to be, and do not wish to know; however, I may have read one, indeed. The description of this book does not even come close to what it entails, and I am still shocked that it was for sale in an airport, many decades ago. It is truly "barbaric", which has much to do with why I even thought about it.

https://www.librarything.com/work/1078174

 

Even if you wanted to, isn't that world he described gone? Where you can get a sack of rice and live like a peasant in some Indo village, off the grid and just surfing? I guess Africa might be the exception if you wanted to just decamp to Western Sahara or something but even there I think the world has changed too much. Another option I'm sure would be to just put your money into a solid sailboat and then sail around the Pacific as needed to hit everywhere from HI to New Zealand and everywhere in-between. That takes a lot more upfront money than what he did of course.

It's very different but I suppose the option more available to folks now thanks to remote jobs is to just pack off for the outer reaches but within internet access and live like that. You just have to figure out a hustle like web design, coding or something highly portable and non-location based. I stupidly got into manufacturing so can't detach myself easily from life here, even if I wanted to.

 

Yes- that world is pretty much gone, and getting worse, especially as jackass surfers want to be "ex-pats".
And btw, moving to PR to be an "ex-pat" is moronic. PR belongs to the USA. One is not a expat there. I share that because many have told me that was their plan and, when I correct them....they get all offended. Morons......

 

+1

 

+1 on the bail ^^

Can't understand how Finnegan won the Pulitzer for that droning drivel. Oh wait.....he writes for the New Yorker & the committee is stocked/stacked.

 

That title should have been 'I'm Laird Hamilton & You Never Will Be'

agreed, it was worse than reading miss piggy's flatulent posts

 

Yah. I liked that susan Casey book too.

When you say, "The History of Surfing" Are you referring to "The World in the Curl. An Unconventional History of Surfing", by Westwick and Neushul? That's a very enjoyable read. It might be my favorite surf book after Cold Water Surfing by Gordinier.

 

Betty, no its written by Matt Warshaw. A picture of the cover is my post. I'm only 60 or so pages in but it's a really good read thus far. It's got a lot of really old school photos and contains a ton of info the layman surfer wouldn't know about surf history.

 

I hear you about having a remote job. Something I would love to figure out in the grand scheme of things. But, hey man if there's a will there's a way. I believe DP got himself into something like that. My step mom has worked from home for the past 15 or so years making like 130k. I would love to see that in my future. Just not there right now.

 

Oh, okay. I guess I gotta check out your book too then

 

It is a very thorough coverage of the history of surfing, and Warshaw is a good writer.