Synopses & Reviews
An elegant and surprising history of surfing that examines its cultural influence in some of the most unexpected places
How did an obscure tribal sport from precolonial Hawaii—one that was nearly eliminated on its home islands by Christian missionaries—jump oceans to California and Australia? And how did it become such a worldwide passion, influencing lives around the globe?
In this brilliantly written travel adventure, journalist and surfer Moore visits unlikely surfing destinations —Gaza, West Africa, North England, Berlin, Bali, Japan, Cuba, and Morocco—to give the reader a folk history of surfing. This is a personal sketch for any curious reader of how the modern sport moved around the world and mingled with cultures that either have nothing to do with Hawaii or have strong reasons to resist pop silliness from the First World. The result is the story of hippies, soldiers, nutcases, and colonialism; a checkered history of the spread of Western culture in the years after World War II.
Moore brings to his subject a sense of adventure and relevance that will appeal to surfers and nonsurfers alike.
Review
"Moore and a robust we suit have boldly gone where only seriously unhinged dudes have gone before, mapping out fresh, unexpected cartography of the waves...What he has done, subtly and beguilingly, is write a book about surfing that often is not really about surfing but about simply being alive. Moore is a modern surf troubadour, singing the adventures of a cast of eccentric pioneers...Moore writes in a spirit far closer to Bruce Chatwin's In Patagonia than to the latest issue of Curve."-- Andy Martin, author of Stealing the Wave, New York Times Book Review “A wild, passionate, and thrilling ride; in the company of Pacific princes, beatnik athletes, and outlaw long-boarders, Michael Scott Moore catches surfings global wave through a sweeping history of Americas most liberating, taut, and tanned cultural export. Glorious!”—Rory MacLean, author of Magic Bus: On the Hippie Trail from Istanbul to India “Warm, smart, funny, and beautifully written. Sweetness and Blood goes off the beaten surf-path to give us a bigger, more interesting surf world.”—Matt Warshaw, author of The Encyclopedia of Surfing “Michael Scott Moore has delivered a perfect tale, filled with adventure, insight, and exquisite turns of phrase. For those who think surfing is just some Cali boys running around saying ‘dude, he shows that wherever theres water, from Munich to the Gaza Strip, taking a ride on it means freedom—and the siren call is universal.”—Deanne Stillman, author of Twentynine Palms: A True Story of Murder, Marines, and the Mojave
“Sweetness and Blood, Michael Scott Moores moving personal hejira through wave-ridings undiscovered back country, is a constantly surprising and emotional ride as it proves both surf cultures truly pervasive influence, and how the world of waves—wherever they may be, and whoever rides them—lead to the heart of the world itself.—David Rensin, author of All for a Few Perfect Waves: The Audacious Life and Legend of Rebel Surfer Miki Dora“The most fun, riskiest, most joyful, highest form of travelogue lit. Everyone will have their favorite chapter and section. Like Theroux combined with the best part of the best travel story of vintage Granta magazine...love, love, love this book!”—Joy Nicholson, author of The Road to Esmeralda “A wonderful and engaging book, Sweetness and Blood combines folk history, pop art, and great, old-fashioned travel writing into a fun-filled tale of surfings global conquest. From the shell-shocked beaches of the Gaza Strip to the shell-packed beaches of Bali, Moore has packed enough cool cultural ephemera into this one volume to make this book a must-read for anyone interested the sport.”—Steven Kotler, author of West of Jesus: Surfing, Science and the Origin of Belief “Sweetness and Blood is a lively tour de force of travel writing and enterprising research that tells the truly fascinating story of surfings spread into unlikely corners of the globe. This is like Beach Boys music for the sun-hungry brain, imagination, and soul.”—Francisco Goldman, author of The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop “Sweetness and Blood reveals a great deal about the evolution of surfing but even more about the currents of globalization—which are as complex and as hard to fathom as those of the ocean itself. There is a remarkable character, a surprising bit of history and a fresh insight on every single page of this wonderful book.”—Ethan Watters, author of Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche
Review
“Moore and a robust wet suit have boldly gone where only serious and often seriously unhinged
dudes have gone before, mapping out a fresh, unexpected cartography of the waves. . . . What he has
done, subtly and beguilingly, is write a book about surfing that often is not really about surfing but
about simply being alive.” New York Times Book Review “[A] lovely ride, a sweet story told with a lilt.” Los Angeles Times
“Jolly!” The Economist
“A lively global jaunt that will offer some surprises even for the heartiest of wave-riding experts.” The Washington Post
“[He] burrows into each locale with a keen ear for dialogue and a bullshit detector set to ‘stun . . . The clarity of his prose leaves us hungry for Moore.” The Surfers Journal
“Warm, smart, funny, and beautifully written. Sweetness and Blood goes off the beaten surf-path to give us a bigger, more interesting surf world.” Matt Warshaw, author of The History of Surfing
“Sweetness and Blood is a lively tour de force of travel writing and enterprising research that tells the truly fascinating story of surfings spread into unlikely corners of the globe. This is like Beach Boys music for the sun-hungry brain, imagination, and soul.” Francisco Goldman, author of Say Her Name and The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop?
Synopsis
An elegant and surprising history of surfing, "Sweetness and Blood" examines the sport's cultural influence in some of the most unexpected places around the world.
Synopsis
How did an obscure tribal sport from precolonial Hawaii—one that was nearly eliminated by Christian
missionaries—jump oceans to California and Australia? And how did it become such a worldwide passion, even in places where the surf may be excellent but the society is highly conservative or superstitious about the sea? In Sweetness and Blood - a brilliantly written travel adventure - journalist (and surfer) Michael Scott Moore visits unlikely surfing destinations—Israel and the Gaza Strip, West Africa, Great Britain, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Cuba, and Morocco—to find out. Whether he is connecting eccentric surf legend Doc Paskowitz to the Arab-Israeli conflict, trying to deconstruct the terrorist bombing in a nightclub in Bali, or being chased by the German police while surfing a river break in Berlin, Moore masterfully weaves together politics, culture, history, and surfing to create a book like no other.
About the Author
MICHAEL SCOTT MOORE is a novelist and journalist from California. He was a 2006-2007 Fulbright fellow in Berlin, where he currently works for Spiegel Online and writes a column for Miller-McCune Magazine. His first novel, Too Much of Nothing, was published by Carroll & Graf in 2003. He's written on politics and travel for publications such as The Atlantic Monthly, Slate, and the Financial Times. He's also at work on a second novel.