SURF IS WHERE YOU FIND IT by Gerry Lopez
Published by Patagonia Books
One of the icons of surfing on the North Shore of Hawai’I, Bali
and beyond in the 1970’s, Gerry Lopez has written an autobiography that will
inspire millions of overworked Americans to put down the iphone and head to the
beach. Film buffs might recall him as a co-star in Conan the Barbarian or his
cameo in Big Wednesday.
Gerry grew up in Honolulu, Hawai’i, attending the illustrious
high school, Punahou, prior to President Obama’s tenure there. Gerry’s parents
are a journalist father of Spanish-German heritage, while his mother is
Japanese-Hawaiian. To say he is an intelligent man with an ear for dialect, an
eye for art and near genius level talent as a surfer would be an
understatement.
In 1963, as a high school sophomore, Gerry surfed Pipeline, an
incredible and often dangerous section of the North Shore. That would be akin to
someone with a driver’s permit driving in the Indianapolis 500. Gerry has
surfed with and has awed such big surfing names as Miki Dora, Laird Hamilton
and Eddie Aikau.
Gerry’s book describes the surfing culture in Hawai’i from the
early 1960’s through the 2000’s, noting the historical figures, epic rides and
his own spiritual development. Like a long smooth ride on a longboard, Gerry’s
book takes the reader to places and people that are worth knowing. Think of it
as a volume of “talk story” that Hawaiians usually tell amongst themselves. So,
my suggestion is to take off the work clothes, slip on some shorts and flip
flops and read an epic book. You’ll be stoked!
No comments:
Post a Comment