Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

Product Description

**Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography**

“Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is like reading Hemingway on bullfighting; William Burroughs on controlled substances; Updike on adultery. . . . a coming-of-age story, seen through the gloss resin coat of a surfboard.”—Sports Illustrated

Included in President Obama’s 2016 Summer Reading List 
 
Barbarian Days is William Finnegan’s memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Surfing only looks like a sport. To initiates, it is something else: 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 distinguished 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 forged in challenging waves.
 
Finnegan shares stories of life in a whites-only gang in a tough school in Honolulu. 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. As Finnegan’s travels take him ever farther afield, he discovers the picturesque simplicity of a Samoan fishing village, dissects the sexual politics of Tongan interactions with Americans and Japanese, and navigates the Indonesian black market while nearly succumbing to malaria. Throughout, he surfs, carrying readers with him on rides of harrowing, unprecedented lucidity.
 
Barbarian Days is an old-school adventure story, an intellectual autobiography, a social history, a literary road movie, and an extraordinary exploration of the gradual mastering of an exacting, little-understood art.
 
Praise for Barbarian Days:
 
“Without a doubt, the finest surf book I’ve ever read . . . But on a more fundamental level, Barbarian Days offers a clear-eyed vision of American boyhood. Like Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, it is a sympathetic examination of what happens when literary ideas of freedom and purity take hold of a young mind and fling his body out into the far reaches of the world.”—The New York Times Magazine
 
“Incandescent . . . I’d sooner press this book upon on a nonsurfer, in part because nothing I’ve read so accurately describes the feeling of being stoked or the despair of being held under. . . . [But] it’s also about a writer’s life and, even more generally, a quester’s life, more carefully observed and precisely rendered than any I’ve read in a long time.”—Los Angeles Times

Top Reviews

This and So Much More.
by Adam (5 out of 5 stars)
July 15, 2016

This is, quite simply, the best memoir I've ever read.

I originally got the audiobook (even though I'm not an audiobook kind of guy) to help supplement my long drives to work. After the first few minutes, I was hooked. I've since listened to the audiobook twice, and have purchased a physical copy to see if it is as good as I would think holding it in my hand, going at my own pace. It is, and more.

I am not a surfer. I have never been a surfer, and - though I did spend a decent part of my youth summers at the beach - surfing to me has always been one of those things, "Out there", in the ether. Ephemeral. Johnny Utah and that kind of stuff. Despite that, I have found myself drawn to it's literature, perhaps because of a longing of things I wish I'd done, perhaps to quench my knack of ex-patness, perhaps as a midlife crisis. Regardless, though this book is "about' (I use quotes intentionally, b/c it can or is or encompasses just that, but also so much more) surfing, it is written so eloquently that it could be about anything, and I would still love it.

The prose, the pace, the presentation of the subject matter both intimate and as timepieces from afar - everything about this book is wonderful.

Read it, you won't be disappointed.
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Come for the waves, stay for the writing.
by M. Tillman (5 out of 5 stars)
December 5, 2017

This is writing. It is writing about a life well lived, and it brings on a certain sorrowful pleasure in reading. As the pages are turned, stories of glory and excitement turn to stories of pain and aging, to introspection and loss. Such is life for all of us, regardless of whether we surfed these waves or even lived this big of a life. There aren't many who have been able to pull off writing of this type, that makes the reader feel alive simply by reading about the accomplishments of others.

When I was finished, I noticed that my book had somehow become water damaged, which left the pages wrinkled. It was almost like the book had lived a bit and seen the sea a few too many times. Somehow this left me with a sense of pride, as if some of this adventure was mine as well. That is what good writing does, and it's too bad that we have to plow through so many books to find one like this.
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I'm not feeling the wave
by R. C. Lee (3 out of 5 stars)
December 18, 2018

I am a bit baffled by the glowing reviews, and for that matter the Pulitzer. This memoir starts out interesting, and held my attention for maybe 3/4 of the book, but the endless descriptions of waves and surfing frankly get old (and I'm someone who is amazed with regard to surfing and surfers). The book seriously needed much tighter editing, which is surprising as the author is obviously an accomplished professional writer. There is also a LOT of unexplained jargon, in addition to the excessive verbiage. Additionally, the author has had an interesting life outside of surfing (reporting in war zones, etc.), yet this is all about surfing, which comes off as self-masturbatory. He basically does a lot of serious addiction-splanin' with regard to surfing, rather than drawing us into this unusual world. It is mildly interesting, but far from Pulitzer material in my view. My overall impression was, "OK, you were addicted to surfing, but you didn't make me care".
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Surfing..Timeless Memories...
by 05/11A (4 out of 5 stars)
July 25, 2018

Enjoyed the book..it took me back some years having grown up in South Bay with middle school in Hermosa Beach with lots of beach/surf time between Haggarty's and Redondo Beach breakwater. My first time on the board was at Palos Verdes Paddleboard Cove, commonly call just "The Cove". In those days, big & heavy boards..no leash!

I can recall across from Pier Avenue Elementary School was Greg Noll's..just down the street at Jacob's surfboard shops. The LightHouse was a popular place and across the street was the Golden Bear..perhaps some might recall.

Ventured to Hawaii and spent a month or so surfing the North Shore with my 9'6" Bing and "learned my lesson" about surfing the "bigger waves". Moved into Waikiki and lived in what was called "The Cages" and work at Hawaiian Tuna Packers..after leaving and receiving draft notice..did a tour in RVN 68-69..returned to college and retired as LTC US Army Infantry Officer. Worked most of the wars with my last gig in Uganda training and assisting the battalions in preparation for deployment into Mog, Somalia.

Those were the "good ol' days" with sun, sea, surf and great times. Few crowds..a welcome community of local surf guys and few social issues. How times have changed..!

Been surfing for many years..I have my 9'6" Becker over my desk. thanks Bill for the memories! (Pic(s): Surfboard & FOB Gardez, Afghanistan
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Positive Waves
by John T. Mannhaupt (4 out of 5 stars)
March 29, 2016

I read this over several months, with other books interspersed, and it was always easy to come back to and pick up the thread. There were two downsides to the book. First, the author uses some surfing terns the rest of us, or at least me, find unfamiliar. It's fairly easy to deduce the meaning, and I am not suggesting a glossary; it was just a bit disconcerting at times. The second downside is highly personal. Near the end of the book, as he approaches sixty, he begins to doubt his ability to continue surfing. I read this on my ski trip and could not help but draw the parallel to concerns about my own ability to continue a sport I love. The list of things he captures well is long. The friendships he forged due to surfing. The battles of being in new schools and neighborhoods as an adolescent. The adventure of literally traveling the world without much money. The cultures he experienced first-hand. The political upheaval of the times from the US to South Africa. The difficulty of choosing a so-called adult profession. The connection afforded by family. Finnegan treats all these topics with care, insight, and an appropriate depth. This book may be about growing up, or finding oneself, or surfing, or all three. And that may be its greatest strength: the reader gets to decide what to take away from it.
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Exquisitely written - thoughtful, honest, credible, and adventurous
by PDX Author (5 out of 5 stars)
May 13, 2016

When I heard about Mr. Finnegan's memoir, chronicling his lifetime of surfing adventures intertwined with his journey as a writer, I knew it would be one of the best books I've read. Readers who have never surfed a wave or had any interest in the surfing lifestyle will still find this work well worth reading. Finnegan has a knack for smooth beautiful writing that will evoke emotions both familiar and otherwise.

This memoir is more than a story of one man's life's journeys and adventures. It is an exploration of what it means to be devoted, almost entirely to a way of life. With Barbarian Days, Finnegan created an avenue for the non-surfer to become immersed in what a relationship with the ocean is all about. As a surfer, William Finnegan could likely be counted among the very few who have surfed many of the best, challenging waves that the world's most exotic locales have to offer.

One of the later chapters that I found captivating was the author's experiences with San Francisco's "Ocean Beach". Having grown up surfing on that stretch of coast, the winter swells at VFWs, Noriega, Sloat, and Fleishackers, is still considered something a surfer must work up to. These aren't places a casual surfer can handle, even in perfect conditions. Finnegan offers an honest, unblemished portrait of the Ocean Beach experience without any need for embellishment. Conquering the winter waves at Ocean Beach is an extremely difficult endeavor that only an author with Finnegan's experience and credibility can illustrate with integrity.

As a reputable writer, William Finnegan is proof positive that it is indeed within the art of the possible that a great surfer can at the same time be a great writer.
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Connects all the way through.
by Kindle Customer (5 out of 5 stars)
August 27, 2015

Surfing is incredibly difficult to write about. Even talented, experienced writers tend to find themselves blathering about "crystal cathedrals" and other empty-headed nonsense before the first paragraph is complete. William Finnegan,a writer whose work with The New Yorker I've enjoyed for years, is more than up to the task. He not only avoids the usual purple prose, but connects an interesting, intensely personal family narrative to the story of his lifelong devotion to surfing. His horror stories are of particular note - Finnegan's misadventures in San Francisco and Madeira are so terrifying I found myself stopping to gasp for breath. Barbarian Days is written with love, respect and care - for his subjects, for the breaks he's surfed, and most importantly, for surfing itself. It's not for everyone, but if you surf - particularly if you surf Ocean Beach - Barbarian Days is astonishingly good. I hope to see Mr. Finnegan in the water one day. We all owe him a wave.
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Must Read (if you're a surfer / have an interest in surf culture)
by The Laubster (4 out of 5 stars)
December 6, 2017

About to finish this tonight. In all honesty I never got sucked into caring about the author / main character's story, but as a diehard surfer, this was the first surfing book I'd ever read, so I wanted to finish it. And by the end, I saw a lot of the author in myself. In particular, that nagging angst when one side of you wants to travel the world non-stop, pursuing The Search, when the other side is desperately asking "What am I doing with my life?"

Would definitely recommend, especially if you're a surfer. Hearing the story of the original crew to discover Tavarua, and the insights into surf culture in the 70s, was awesome. Can't believe Bali was just as crowded back in 79' as it (appears to be) today. Nuts!
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Largely Boring
by C. Dean (2 out of 5 stars)
August 26, 2018

Somewhere in the middle of this cruelly long book (which I only finished because my book club is reading it), Finnegan acknowledges that his girlfriend found watching him surf "exquisitely boring." Imagine what it's like to read about him surfing. Literally hundreds of waves are described--how they looked from shore, how he surfed them, how other people surfed them, how they nearly killed him, etc. Descriptions of the rest of his life are not especially interesting, either, which is surprising, considering the kinds of assignments he's had as a writer for the New Yorker. He just shows no sense of narrative here, endlessly describing people he's known and places he's been for no apparent reason. The exceptions might be the self-imposed hardships of his late adolescence/early adulthood and his time as a teacher in apartheid-era South Africa. How this won a Pulitzer is beyond me.
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The Journey of surfing, travel and manhood
by KC Krause SoCal (5 out of 5 stars)
November 29, 2017

Yes, my 5th book about surfing this year! How many ways can you describe surfing a wave or the search for surf? Well this book combines the autobiography of a boy who grew up surfing in Hawaii and then was able to travel the world combining his passions of waves and writing. After years of writing about more serious topics Finnegan finally wrote this book and to his surprise it turned into a pulitzer prize winning bestseller. Youtube some videos of him talking about this book. As an avid surfer for 20+ years and having read many surf books and long magazine articles this book was a great mix of surfing, travel and his journey into manhood using his experienced high quality writing ability. The end dragged on a little (leading to a 4.5 star) when he described pioneering the Madeira surfing but otherwise it was excellent from beginning to end. enJoy!

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