Barbarian Days.
Recently my father in law and I were talking about books. He has been trying to get me to read the Gray Man series as he gave me several of that serie’s books. Problem was he did not give me the first book in the series and I didn’t want to just go jump into a long series of book starting with book 3. So I started looking for where I could get the first one. Library was a no-go; they did not have it. Examined Half Price Books and they had it, but the shipping and handling costs were greater than the cost of the book. That was irritating. Then I heard about Thriftbooks - also from my father in law. Great prices as long as you are willing to be patient as the shipping times can be long. I bought the first book of Gray Man and also took a chance on the book Barbarian Days - A Surfing Life. It was a Pulitzer Prize winner so I figure it couldn’t be all that bad.
Turned out it was…well, an okay decision. Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan is a memoir that delves deeply into several key themes, beyond just the act of surfing itself, but there was plenty of surfing talk; be assured of that. It was very apparent that the author was taking us on a autobiographical journey. In fact, at many times it seemed to me to be a vehicle for a personal catharsis.
Throughout the memoir, Finnegan explores how surfing has shaped his identity and personal growth. Surfing is not merely a hobby for him; it’s a way of life that influences his understanding of himself, his relationships, and the world around him. The book portrays surfing as a spiritual journey that allows Finnegan to reflect on who he is as an individual.
The book begins detailing Finnegan’s early life. While it was apparent he was a member of a loving family, to say his life was without strife. It would seem that as a youngster he was constantly an the outside due to the frequent moves made by their family as they followed their work. (His father was a producer for some small scale television shows and movies). But it was due to one of these moves that Finnegan arrived in Hawaii.
William is in the back-middle.
In Hawaii, in between fighting with locals where he seemed to learn about the hard knocks of life while being beaten up pretty regularly, he started surfing. He was only a short walk away from a beach which had good breaks so he was there learning about surfing every day.
One of the main points that I would like to make about this book is how much I learned about surfing. I was aware that it was a lot more than just getting a board and going out in the water. You do not just hop up on ride. There are a tremendous number of dangers that come with the sport. Finnegan details how he spent a long time learning by simply watching others as well as paying the closest of attention to the water and more importantly, what lied beneath it. Just because a great wave with a good great goes by does not mean you should try and catch it. If it rolls you and there happens to be a shallow spot of razor sharp coral, you could be in for a really bad day. The terms I learned: Lefts and Rights, eddies and tubes — it all took a good bit of time to understand (not that I entirely do now) what he was talking about. One of the things Finnegan wrote about being very afraid of was drowning when a series of waves could pin you underwater as you were waiting for a safe moment to come up and swim out. The waves took on a personality as he spoke of them. Waves are absolutely schizophrenic; one moment providing a ride that led to heart pounding excitement and awe, but could, without notice, place you in a life threatening situation where a single wrong move results in you being cut to shreds on coral and/or drowning.
It was during this bit of learning that I discovered that while you may think of surfers as they are represented in Hollywood, Jeff Spicoli comes to mind, they are incredibly observant and in tune with nature. I may sound like I am about to start chanting, (I’m not) but if you were not able to read the water and adapt to conditions you were not going to be a very good surfer and might end up on the wrong side of a wave pounding you into rocks.
“Well, I'll tell you, Stu, I did battle some humongous waves! But you know, just like I told the guy on ABC, "Danger is my business!" Jeff Spicoli
"All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine." Jeff Spicoi - Fast Times at Ridgemont High
The beauty, power, and unpredictability of nature are central to the narrative. Finnegan’s descriptions of the ocean and the waves are poetic, reflecting a deep reverence for nature’s magnificence and danger. The ocean becomes a character in the book, embodying both serenity and raw, untamable power, and surfers must learn to respect and coexist with it.
The memoir highlights how the pursuit of surfing can become an all-consuming passion. When I think of myself at 12 years old, what was important to me, it is a blur of ever changing interests. Besides baseball, nothing really stuck. Finnegan writes about getting up before dawn (no way I was doing that) and heading out to the beach and surfing prior to going to school. That is a single-minded dedication that is not often seen in an adult, much less in an early adolescent. But it is here where you start to see and understand what surfing means to Finnegan. He went to school and did pretty well, but I think the education he received while out on the waves interacting with people far his senior in age and experience was more impactful than any classroom.
Surfing is both a solitary and social activity, and the memoir reflects this duality. Finnegan’s relationships with other surfers—rivalries, friendships, and shared experiences—are a major part of the narrative. The surfing community plays a significant role in shaping his experiences, providing camaraderie but also competition. The connection experienced through surfing gave Finnegan and his friends a common path to travel. The obsession was shared with a select few and it allowed for experiences that only those dedicated to surfing can understand.
When I think of the word ‘obsession’ it more often comes with negative connotation. This is up for discussion in this book as well. If every move you make centers on how it will allow you to do something, you might need to take a long moment to think about the macro impact of what you are doing.
Finnegan sacrifices conventional career paths, relationships, and a stable life to chase the perfect wave. His obsession often leads to tension between his love for surfing and the responsibilities and expectations of adult life.
One of the other big ideals that challenged the way I thought was the freedom of movement Finnegan experienced. I am a Gen Xer and we often speak of how we only came home when the streetlights came on. Our parents did not know where we were, what we were doing, and we all came out okay…blah, blah. But that is nothing compared to Finnegan. As was the custom, Americans backpacked Europe after college, but William was hopscotching across Europe with a lot of story being told as he was 17 years old in Turkey. In Turkey! I would be nervous to go there by myself today.
This was indicative of the rest of Finnegan’s young life. Finnegan's life was marked by a constant search for new waves and new places. His passion for surfing takes him to remote corners of the world—Fiji, Samoa, Madeira, and beyond—capturing the thrill of discovery and adventure. He would work jobs with the goal being to save enough money to go on surf trips. He worked for a year or two on a railroad, saved $5000 which at the time was a significant sum of money, and left for the South Pacific. This journey lasted several years and ended with teaching english in South Africa during the height of the Apartheid struggle.
This journey was of course a great deal about surfing, but there was a great deal of self-discovery taking place as well. He spoke of not know what he wanted in life and how aggravating it was when he would at times look up from surfing and consider whether or not he was wasting his time and his life.
While it was not the path I have chosen, I think it is an incredible life’s journey he went on. We need to lionize those who are willing to put everything aside to chase a passion. If he had not went on this journey, I believe he would not have lived as satisfying a life as he did. He became an excellent writer and I am not talking about this book. He would eventually take a job as a correspondent at the New York Times and would go to all kinds of war zones and dangerous places. I do not think he could have done all of these things without the life-lessons learned while traveling and chasing waves.
All in all, it was an okay read. There were times when I was so far down in the weeds reading about the intricacies of surfing it made my head spin. And sometimes I would turn pages without reading if I thought it was more of the same. However, the book did keep me wanting more. I always kept going because I wanted to see how this or that travel experience ended. As the book wound down, he spoke more and more about how his age was impacting his surfing. I felt for him because I knew what surfing meant to him and I couldn’t imagine him being without it. As Finnegan ages, he reflects on how his body and his relationship with surfing change. It is a meditation on aging, time, and the inevitability of change, with surfing becoming a metaphor for life’s constant flux. There is a bittersweet tone as he grapples with the realization that physical limits will eventually impede his ability to surf in the same way he did in his youth. No one defeats Father Time.
But he came to peace with it. Marriage and children have a tendency to take your attention, but he was still able to continue traveling, it just wasn’t only to surf. HIs wife and daughter became partners in his unending wanderlust and he seemed very much at peace by the end of his story.
If you are a fan of surfing - this book is for you. There is a ton of surfing lingo and details; sometimes it became too much and therefore boring to me. WIth that being said, FInnegan still has a knack for storytelling, this I cannot deny. His story made me question whether or not I chase my passions enough, or for that matter, what are my passions? I think there is something very noteworthy when someone knows exactly what they want and do whatever they have to do to get it.
