Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

Barbarian Days

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4.9/5
1,127 RATINGS  |  528 REVIEWS

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

Barbarian Days

4.9/5
1,173 RATINGS  |  816 REVIEWS

Description: A deeply rendered self-portrait of a lifelong surfer by the acclaimed New Yorker writerBarbarian Days is William Finnegan’s memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. 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 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 annealed in challenging waves.Finnegan shares stories of life in a whitesonly gang in a tough school in Honolulu even while his closest friend was a 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, 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. Today, Finnegan’s surfing life is undiminished. Frantically juggling work and family, he chases his enchantment through Long Island ice storms and obscure corners of Madagascar. We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers. To get started finding Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed. Our library is the biggest of these that have literally hundreds of thousands of different products represented.

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GENRES
Religion Biography History Graphic Novel Psychology Science Fiction Historical Fiction

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PDF, EPUB & Kindle Edition

Published

2015

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Language

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Original Title

Barbarian Days

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Ratings & Reviews

David Thomas
David Thomas March 27, 2024
A brilliant work that keeps you engaged every page.
Anthony Young
Anthony Young March 01, 2025
This book truly stands out among others in its category.
Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter December 20, 2025
An exceptional piece of work.
Anthony Young
Anthony Young March 07, 2025
This book truly stands out among others in its category.
Nathan Hall
Nathan Hall February 09, 2024
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Evelyn Garcia
Evelyn Garcia October 19, 2024
This book truly stands out among others in its category.
Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter February 11, 2025
Interesting and motivating.
Matthew Anderson
Matthew Anderson October 03, 2025
Enjoyed reading it overall.
Olivia Davis
Olivia Davis August 30, 2024
This book truly stands out among others in its category.
Hannah Mitchell
Hannah Mitchell May 09, 2025
Would recommend it.
Elizabeth Allen
Elizabeth Allen November 09, 2025
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Ryan Lewis
Ryan Lewis February 25, 2024
Good introduction to the topic.
Abigail Rodriguez
Abigail Rodriguez October 14, 2025
An unforgettable reading experience from start to finish.
Harper Lee
Harper Lee August 05, 2025
A brilliant work that keeps you engaged every page.
Anthony Young
Anthony Young August 04, 2025
Decent book with helpful information.
Lily Scott
Lily Scott September 29, 2024
An exceptional piece of work.
James Walker
James Walker November 30, 2024
An exceptional piece of work.
Eric Evans
Eric Evans November 02, 2024
Helpful and informative.
Joshua Harris
Joshua Harris December 10, 2025
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Daniel Wilson
Daniel Wilson October 05, 2024
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Jonathan Wright
Jonathan Wright November 19, 2025
An unforgettable reading experience from start to finish.
Emily Johnson
Emily Johnson September 25, 2025
The author did an outstanding job explaining complex ideas clearly.
Joshua Harris
Joshua Harris September 15, 2025
Very informative yet entertaining at the same time.
Mia Moore
Mia Moore December 13, 2024
The author did an outstanding job explaining complex ideas clearly.
Joshua Harris
Joshua Harris September 20, 2025
This book truly stands out among others in its category.
Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter February 03, 2025
Decent book with helpful information.
Emily Johnson
Emily Johnson May 19, 2025
Great ideas though some parts felt detailed.
Ryan Lewis
Ryan Lewis January 15, 2024
An exceptional piece of work.
Adam Campbell
Adam Campbell November 10, 2024
Good structure and pacing.
Charlotte Martin
Charlotte Martin December 23, 2025
An exceptional piece of work.
Matthew Anderson
Matthew Anderson July 10, 2025
A brilliant work that keeps you engaged every page.
Amelia White
Amelia White August 07, 2025
Very good book with useful insights.
Olivia Davis
Olivia Davis November 08, 2024
This book truly stands out among others in its category.
Jason Turner
Jason Turner August 16, 2025
It completely changed my perspective.
Abigail Rodriguez
Abigail Rodriguez May 25, 2024
Great ideas though some parts felt detailed.
Andrew Thompson
Andrew Thompson May 25, 2025
The author did an outstanding job explaining complex ideas clearly.
James Walker
James Walker April 13, 2025
It completely changed my perspective.
Victoria Roberts
Victoria Roberts March 27, 2024
I learned so much and enjoyed every chapter.
Kevin Perez
Kevin Perez October 25, 2024
An unforgettable reading experience from start to finish.
Samantha Edwards
Samantha Edwards February 20, 2024
A brilliant work that keeps you engaged every page.
Jason Turner
Jason Turner September 19, 2025
A brilliant work that keeps you engaged every page.
Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter March 25, 2025
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Abigail Rodriguez
Abigail Rodriguez December 28, 2024
A powerful story that stays with you long after reading.
Natalie Parker
Natalie Parker April 29, 2024
I learned so much and enjoyed every chapter.
Mia Moore
Mia Moore January 02, 2024
A brilliant work that keeps you engaged every page.
Anthony Young
Anthony Young August 13, 2024
Helpful and informative.
Anthony Young
Anthony Young February 16, 2024
The author did an outstanding job explaining complex ideas clearly.
Evelyn Garcia
Evelyn Garcia December 01, 2025
Strong and enjoyable read.
Amelia White
Amelia White May 31, 2024
This book truly stands out among others in its category.
Elizabeth Allen
Elizabeth Allen August 18, 2024
Solid content and clear writing.
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