Big Wave: Stories of Riding the World's Wildest Water

but to get the most from it I think it would help to already love surfing. There are twenty selections in this book (310 pgs), eight are from a larger work and the others are stand alones. Seven are profiles of guys who have apparently been big on the surf scene. This is where I think that if you follow surfing you'll get more from the book than I did. However, it's all good writing and the other selections are in three main veins - a history of the sport, reporting on a contest, and focusing on an event or a locale. So in a way, if the sport interests you at all, this is a very good primer. I'll say this - after reading it, I went to the magazine rack, flipped through some surf magazines and found that I recognized the names and locales now. Not a lot of white knuckle, death defying stuff like the mountaineering books - but adrenaline comes in many forms and the challenges the heroes here face are surviving economically as a surfer, beating back newbies to stay on top of the heap, and searching for the "personal best" wave. And it does present a broad view of the surf culture - from Alaska to New York, and clothing to music. A mostly enjoyable read.