SKU: 99278500438

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

Sale price$15.30 Regular price$17.00
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $4.25 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 24 - Jul 29

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life**Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography** "Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is like reading Hemingway on bullfighting; William Burroughs on controlled substances; Updike on adultery. . . . a coming of age story, seen through the gloss resin coat of a surfboard." Sports Illustrated Included in President Obama's 2016 Summer Reading List Barbarian Days is William Finnegan's memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment.

**Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography**

"Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is like reading Hemingway on bullfighting; William Burroughs on controlled substances; Updike on adultery. . . . a coming-of-age story, seen through the gloss resin coat of a surfboard." --Sports Illustrated

Included in President Obama's 2016 Summer Reading List

Barbarian Days is William Finnegan's memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Surfing only looks like a sport. To initiates, it is something else: a beautiful addiction, a demanding course of study, a morally dangerous pastime, a way of life.

Raised in California and Hawaii, Finnegan started surfing as a child. He has chased waves all over the world, wandering for years through the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, Africa. A bookish boy, and then an excessively adventurous young man, he went on to become a distinguished writer and war reporter. Barbarian Days takes us deep into unfamiliar worlds, some of them right under our noses--off the coasts of New York and San Francisco. It immerses the reader in the edgy camaraderie of close male friendships forged in challenging waves.

Finnegan shares stories of life in a whites-only gang in a tough school in Honolulu. He shows us a world turned upside down for kids and adults alike by the social upheavals of the 1960s. He details the intricacies of famous waves and his own apprenticeships to them. Youthful folly--he drops LSD while riding huge Honolua Bay, on Maui--is served up with rueful humor. As Finnegan's travels take him ever farther afield, he discovers the picturesque simplicity of a Samoan fishing village, dissects the sexual politics of Tongan interactions with Americans and Japanese, and navigates the Indonesian black market while nearly succumbing to malaria. Throughout, he surfs, carrying readers with him on rides of harrowing, unprecedented lucidity.

Barbarian Days is an old-school adventure story, an intellectual autobiography, a social history, a literary road movie, and an extraordinary exploration of the gradual mastering of an exacting, little-understood art.

Praise for Barbarian Days

"Without a doubt, the finest surf book I've ever read . . . But on a more fundamental level, Barbarian Days offers a clear-eyed vision of American boyhood. Like Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, it is a sympathetic examination of what happens when literary ideas of freedom and purity take hold of a young mind and fling his body out into the far reaches of the world." --The New York Times Magazine

"Incandescent . . . I'd sooner press this book upon on a nonsurfer, in part because nothing I've read so accurately describes the feeling of being stoked or the despair of being held under. . . . But] it's also about a writer's life and, even more generally, a quester's life, more carefully observed and precisely rendered than any I've read in a long time." --Los Angeles Times


Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 04/26/2016
ISBN: 9780143109396
Pages: 464
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.45w x 1.00d
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 99278500438

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.8 ★★★★★
Based on 23 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
C
Corinna
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 3
Nice Concept, But Coverage Feels Uneven
Color: 1pc
I really like the idea of this sunscreen setting mist and I do like that it gives the skin a subtle sparkle/glowy finish. That said, the spray itself doesn’t feel evenly distributed, and it dries almost immediately, so there’s no time to blend or redistribute the product. I find myself spraying multiple times from different angles before I feel like my skin is actually covered and protected. It’s pretty and convenient in theory, but I’m not fully confident in the level of sun protection it provides.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2026
U
user
Boise, US
★★★★★ 4
Very pretty shimmer
Color: 1pc
This setting spray applies a very pretty glitter when used. It does have a slightly sweet smell that is almost a watermelon scent to me. The first spray or two is a bit thick, so do not spray onto your face without priming the sprayer the first time. After that first time the sprayer works perfectly, it doesn't clog and distributed a nice fine mist. It leaves my skin feeling softer and hydrated. It does not leave any greasy feeling and dries down quickly. I don't know that it does a ton for makeup setting, but as a shimmering oil and face and body mist it is great.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2026
J
Verified Purchase
Jen
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
100%
Color: 1pc
100% no se queda blanco y se adapta a tu color de piel
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2026
C
Customer
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 2
Not something I would order again
Color: 1pc
I had high hopes for this tinted sunscreen because the product description sounded like it would simplify my morning routine, but it ended up being a disappointment for me. The SPF 50 protection is a plus, and I appreciate that it goes on without the typical white cast. However, the tint was the biggest issue. Rather than blending naturally into my skin, it sat unevenly and emphasized dry patches and texture that aren't normally noticeable. The shade also felt limited and didn't adapt well to my skin tone, leaving an unnatural finish. The formula is marketed as hydrating and non-sticky, but I found it somewhat heavy and greasy after a few hours of wear. While it initially gives a glow, that glow quickly crossed into looking shiny. It also didn't layer particularly well under makeup and tended to pill when I applied other products on top.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2026
T
The Curious Vine
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 3
Lightweight Sunscreen but Tint May Not Match All Skin Tones
Color: 1pc, Color: 1pc
This tinted sunscreen has a lightweight texture and feels comfortable on the skin. It spreads easily and doesn’t feel sticky or heavy, which makes it nice for everyday wear. I also like that it’s oil-free and provides SPF 50 broad-spectrum protection. However, the tint was a bit off for my skin tone. Instead of blending seamlessly, it left a noticeable cast that didn’t look as natural as expected. While the formula itself feels hydrating and smooth, the shade may not work well for everyone. It might work better if the tint happens to match your skin tone, but for me the color mismatch and slight cast made it less ideal as a daily tinted sunscreen.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2026

recommand products