'An engrossing read, part treatise on wave physics, part thrill ride, part cultural study, with a soupçon of near-death events. It's easily the best book ever written about surfing. It captures the moments of joy and terror Finnegan's lifelong passion has brought him, as well as his occasional ambivalence about the tenacious hold it has on him. 'That surfing life is, and it's a remarkably adventurous one sure to induce wanderlust in anyone who follows along, surfer or not.Lyrical but not overbaked, exciting but always self-effacing. He says only what needs to be said, enough to create a vivid picture for the reader while masterfully giving that picture a kind of movement.' He's observant and expressive but shows careful restraint in his zeal.

And it's even better than one could have imagined.This is Finnegan's gift. 'Fans of writing have been waiting eagerly for his surfing memoir.Well, Barbarian Days is here. In other words, it is, like Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, a semi-dangerous book, one that persuades young men.to trade in their office jobs in order to roam the world, to feel the ocean's power, and chase the waves.' 'The kind of book that makes you squirm in your seat on the subway, gaze out the window at work, and Google Map the quickest route to the beach.

His descriptions of some of the world's most powerful and unforgiving waves are hauntingly beautiful.Finnegan displays an honesty that is evident throughout the book, parts of which have a searing, unvarnished intensity that reminded me of 'Stop Time, ' the classic coming-of-age memoir by Frank Conroy.'

'Terrific.Elegantly written and structured, it's a riveting adventure story, an intellectual autobiography, and a restless, searching meditation on love, friendship and family.A writer of rare subtlety and observational gifts, Finnegan explores every aspect of the sport - its mechanics and intoxicating thrills, its culture and arcane tribal codes - in a way that should resonate with surfers and non-surfers alike. A staff writer at The New Yorker, he leads a counterlife as an obsessive surfer, traveling around the world, throwing his vulnerable, merely human body into line after line of waves in search of transient moments of grace.It's an occupation that has never before been described with this tenderness and deftness.'- TIME Magazine, Top 10 Nonfiction Books of 2015 'How many ways can you describe a wave? You'll never get tired of watching Finnegan do it.

Surfing book barbarian days