Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave
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- ISBN13: 9780743294201
- Condition: New
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Product Description
With grit, poetry, and humor, Peter Heller, acclaimed leader of The Whale Warriors recounts his remarkable journey of discovery—of surfing, an entirely new challenge; of the ocean’s beauty and power; of the weird surf subculture; of like; and, most of all, of how to seek adventure while crafting a meaningful life.
Having resolved to master a huge-hollow wave— that is, to go from kook (surfese for beginner) to shredder—in a single year, Heller travels from Southern California down the coast of Mexico in the company of his girlfriend and the eccentric surfers they meet. Exuberant and fearless, Heller explores the technique and science of surfing the secrets of its culture, and the environmental ravages to the stunning coastline he visits.
As Heller plumbs the effective of his own heart and finds joy in both like and surfing, he affords readers plain insight into this fascinating world, with all of its perils and pleasures, its ridiculousness and marvel. Exhilarating, entertaining, and moving, Kook is a like tale between a man and his surfboard, a man and his girlfriend, a not-so-ancient man and the sea.
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I like this book mainly because I could tell to what the leader was going through. Surfing is certainly not something you aim to conquer, but more of a way of life. And being out in the ocean, reveling in the natural power of the waves, does open your eyes to a few life lessons that you would have otherwise been too distant to notice.
If you’re looking for a deep, thought provoking book, rife with a million hidden messages, then this would probably not be it. The language is simple, direct and requires no re-reading just because you didn’t get what he was trying to say in the first place. I finished the book in one afternoon and finished with a smile. It’s just nice to know that somebody middle across the world feels the same way about it as I do.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
I write a surf blog about women’s surfing. It is a completely hobbyist blog, but the publisher of this book establish the blog and sent me a copy. I’m writing a review here, and will review it on the blog. Thanks to Free Press for the copy of the book!
Hmmmm: this book was both fantastic and fun, and really annoying. I’ll get the annoying out of the way: I’m sure the leader was trying to be amusing while writing about his first attempts at surfing, and going out there lacking having any clue how to do it, but to me, that was disrespectful of the ocean he likes so much, additional surfers, and the sport of surfing itself.
I’m a new surfer. I’m still a “kook.” I ongoing learning last year, but I ongoing LEARNING. I did not rent a board and get in the water with NO instruction. But, that *could* be a “guy thing,” like asking for directions.
So, to me, it was NOT CUTE when Heller kept 1) trying to surf lacking lessons and 2) ignoring advice he got from seasoned professionals, time after time after time. Not everyone is so lucky to have world-champion surfers patiently instructing them about how to do it right. And, then, to completely snub the surfer? That screams KOOK to me.
Note to new surfers: The way Heller learns to surf is NOT the way you should learn to surf. The way he steadfastly ignores a cardinal rule of surfing (when you get to a new break, sit and WATCH it for at least 15-20 minutes) is DANGEROUS. Eventually he stumbles upon a surf camp, and learns to surf the right way, but he STILL jumps in the water lacking studying it, and that’s a recipe for disaster. Take lessons, go to surf camp, at least learn how to fall correctly so you don’t get hit in the head with your board and pass out on your first paddle out.
As some additional reviews have mentioned, there is some information about conservation and ocean issues in the book. I thought that felt forced. Mainly, because the leader did not offer any suggestions about what to DO about the problem with the ocean. He also didn’t appear to take time to help, additional than his all-expenses paid trip to Japan to work with the movie “The Cove.”
This book is not really about surfing. It is about an obsession: an obsession to be “cool.” That’s what it really boils down to. And, I can know that. I like telling people that I surf. It is cool. But, like many others, I don’t have the luxury to forsake all additional responsibilities, drive off in a VW van to surf for a year, and get paid to write a book about it. (Eat, Pray, Like, anyone?) What is so weird, and I’m not really giving anything away by telling you this, is that the “Epilogue” of the book (one small paragraph) tells the reader that Heller is back living in Colorado, on a lake, and the closest he gets to surfing is paddling around on his tummy on a longboard after the boats retire for the evening. That says, to me, that surfing was really NOT in his blood. Not for excellent. This trip took place in 2008. The book was published in 2010. How could he give it up that easily?
If you delight in adventure books (as I do: I’ve read every book about climbing Everest and K2, every book about hiking in the Amazon, every book about coldwater swimming and round-the-world kayaking and sailing trips, etc.), you will like this book. It sounds like I didn’t like it: in fact I did like it. It was appealing. It was an adventure memoir. It just felt kind of gimmicky, and contrived–the whole thought.
The tone is fun, there are laugh-out-loud lines, and you get to be a co-pilot on a pretty spectacular surf trip. You might the book if you are a surfer, but I reflect you’ll come to the conclusion, as I did at the end: Peter Heller has not achieved his goal of graduating from Kook status.
Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
Peter really described his journey from a kook to a real surfer extremely accurately. He learned that the journey is not all about skill in the ocean but respecting the ocean and learning about surfing history and etiquette from people who make up the surfing family tree.
There are many touching moments as he progresses through the journey and travels through Baja. Peter is one determined guy! The book is real…no fake stuff. The episode in Japan is very sad.
I recommend this to any reader…surfer or non-surfer. It will be a book that surfers can tell to and a book that provides insight for non-surfers into the regularly misguided and misunderstood world of the surfing lifestyle.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
I selected up Kook on a whim, looking for an simple read about surfing. What ongoing out as an appealing enough read turned into a fantastic escape into the world of surfing. As a ex- surfer (now stuck away from waves) I establish this brilliantly insightful and extremely simple to read. Heller has an outstanding ability clarify the stoke, the waves and the progress of a kook in very humble, yet profound prose. Both surfers and non-surfers will delight in this book and simultaneously make you reassess what is truly vital in life – living in the moment and searching for the perfect wave. This also puts the feeling of a kook back into the forefront of surfers minds so that when they encounter beginners, they may be more generous and helpful.
This book also will make you want to pick up your daypack, buy a camper and hit the road. While many travel tales are dry and overly descriptive, Heller captures the vital things: the people, the vibe and the beauty lacking apt dull.
Overall, I am so pleased I establish this book and promise that you will completely dig this look into the world of surfing.
SPREAD THE STOKE
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
I had just a minute at the bookstore before catching a flight home from Oahu after a few days of surfing. I am a really new KOOK so when I saw this book on the shelf I just had to buy it. I LOVED this book… The leader tells the tale of his real life journey of traveling the Baja and mainland Mexico coast in what becomes a “spiritual quest” to go from kook to shredder in just 6 months. The book is about surfing yes – and as a kook I could REALLY identify with the joy of my new like, the frustrations, and the hilarity at times. But Kook is MORE than a book that’s just about surfing. Really I felt surfing was just the metaphor (and a very fun vehicle) the leader used to clarify his journey in life as he strives to learn more about himself, his capacity to like (or not) and the emotional impact of the destruction of our sacred oceans.
This book could have gotten really bogged down in deep thoughts and really depressing commentary but then it would have lost it’s overall appeal as a compelling, fun read. It was a fantastic escape and at the same time planted seeds of the very serious issues we all need to be aware of and more involved with. Overall, I laughed, I cried, and I couldn’t place the book down until I was done!
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5