56 pages 1 hour read

William Finnegan

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2015

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan is a memoir that recounts the author's youth spent surfing in California and Hawaii, his adventures traveling the world in pursuit of waves, and his eventual return to settle in the United States. Through his detailed reflections, Finnegan explores the surfing counterculture, his personal experiences with relationships and career choices, and the ways in which surfing has evolved and commercialized over the decades.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

William Finnegan's Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life captivates with its vivid storytelling and profound insights into surfing culture and personal discovery. Praised for its evocative prose and depth, it sometimes delves too deeply into surfing minutiae for general readers. Overall, it’s an eloquent chronicle of a life defined by the waves.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life?

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan appeals to readers captivated by adventure, personal transformation, and the natural world. Fans of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and Cheryl Strayed's Wild will appreciate Finnegan's introspective journey through the lens of surfing, exploring the sport's culture and the author's experiences.

RecommendedReading Age

18+years

Book Details

Topics

Sports

Bullying

Arts / Culture

Genre

Travel Literature

Action / Adventure

Biography

Themes

Life/Time: Coming of Age

Relationships: Friendship

Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance