What do you think?
Rate this book
Scratching the Horizon: A Surfing Life
Scratching the Horizon presents a bitchin' love letter to sand and sea, and a spirited inside account of life with the "first family" of American surfing.
In 1956, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz stepped away from a successful medical practice and began a lifelong surfing odyssey that grew to include his wife Juliette, and their nine children. Together, the Paskowitz clan lived a vagabonding bohemian existence, eschewing material possessions in favor of intangible riches like health and good cheer . . . all the while careening along the world's coastlines in search of the perfect wave.
In Scratching the Horizon, Izzy Paskowitz looks back at his unusual upbringing, and his lifelong passion for the sport that carries his family's stamp. As the fourth-oldest child in a family of inveterate surfers, rock stars, and beach bums, he is uniquely qualified to shine a light on a childhood that has come to symbolize the surfing credo, a reckless young adulthood that nearly cost him his sanity, and a maturing sense of self and purpose that allows him to lift others on the back of his experience.
As the father of a son with autism and the founder of "Surfers Healing," a foundation devoted to expanding the horizons of children with autism through surfing, Paskowitz has found a way to connect the surreal aspects of his childhood to the harsh realities of adulthood, and he shares these discoveries in this wickedly entertaining and transforming memoir.
In 1956, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz stepped away from a successful medical practice and began a lifelong surfing odyssey that grew to include his wife Juliette, and their nine children. Together, the Paskowitz clan lived a vagabonding bohemian existence, eschewing material possessions in favor of intangible riches like health and good cheer . . . all the while careening along the world's coastlines in search of the perfect wave.
In Scratching the Horizon, Izzy Paskowitz looks back at his unusual upbringing, and his lifelong passion for the sport that carries his family's stamp. As the fourth-oldest child in a family of inveterate surfers, rock stars, and beach bums, he is uniquely qualified to shine a light on a childhood that has come to symbolize the surfing credo, a reckless young adulthood that nearly cost him his sanity, and a maturing sense of self and purpose that allows him to lift others on the back of his experience.
As the father of a son with autism and the founder of "Surfers Healing," a foundation devoted to expanding the horizons of children with autism through surfing, Paskowitz has found a way to connect the surreal aspects of his childhood to the harsh realities of adulthood, and he shares these discoveries in this wickedly entertaining and transforming memoir.
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2012
18 people are currently reading
294 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 26, 2012
An excellent book with insights not only to his fascinating surfing life and upbringing, but what it means to be a son, brother, husband and father. Getting a "behind-the-scenes" look at what shaped the author, Izzy Paskowitz, takes you along on his journey as the father of a child with autism and the founder of Surfer's Healing. A different type of autism advocate, Izzy understands truly what following the child, and the heart, is all about. A must read!
September 26, 2012
So... I'm a reader, I read everything I can get my hands on... When I picked up Scratching the Horizon, it was intended to be my Labor Day relaxation... And it was... Only it became apparent that it was a whole lot more... to me... Entertaining, extraordinary, honest... But what struck me beyond all of those fine qualities was how inspirational this book truly is... And I don't mean inspirational in a put the book down and go on with whatever you happened to be doing in life... I mean inspirational in the way that gave me insight into living an altruistic life... Something I have been personaly struggling with... as in where do I start, how, what, when... All those gory little details that don't mean a whole hell of a lot when you look at the "big" picture... And that insight is truly priceless...
September 27, 2012
I LOVED this book! I literally could not put it down. This book reads like a conversation between old friends, having a beer or sitting around a campfire. It is the compelling story of a very atypical childhood, criss-crossing the country and the globe, in search of the perfect wave. Izzy also shares his very honest struggle with accepting his son's autism diagnosis, and how Izzy and Danielle's determination to help their son ignited their passion for helping other children and their families struggling with autism. They created the non-profit, Surfers Healing, and travel worldwide, helping literally THOUSANDS of children on the autism spectrum have their BEST day EVER each year. We just attended out first event with Surfers Healing in August, and got the opportunity to meet and chat with Izzy. After reading his book, I feel like I really know him. For sharing the story and for ALL that Surfers Healing does around the world, Mahalo Izzy!
September 6, 2012
Whether you are a parent of a child with autism, as I am, and have known the joy of attending a Surfers Healing event or not, you can not help but be fascinated by the story of the Paskowitz family. Izzy's breezy storytelling style complements the collection of memories and anecdotes he chose to illustrate the incredible journey, or maybe joyride would be a better word, that "Doc" Paskowitz substituted for a traditional upbringing. It's an amazing story and it must have been a challenge to tell it in about 300 pages; makes me wonder what was left on the cutting room floor.
A great read for anyone.
A great read for anyone.
September 17, 2012
A fascinating life story by a man with a big heart. I had the privilege of meeting the author while at a Surfers Healing event with my daughter. He is as genuine and kind in person as his story would make you hope.
October 3, 2012
Izzy's life is unique. Beyond unique, Scratching the Horizon is an original in the stale cookie-cutter world of memoirs. There is no ego, only story. And he is a master story-teller. As his father Doc regales days past on the beach during surf camp, Izzy tells the story of his life. No excuses just what happened. This book should be required reading of every grad student in every MFA program studying non-fiction to learn the art of voice. There is no doubt that when reading this book you are transported to a bar hearing the story over beers or sitting around a campfire hearing it while the smoke curls into the air into infinity. Surfing creates the arc of Izzy's life from birth, childhood, his professional career, marriage, children, autism and eventually Paskowitz Surf Camp and Surfers Healing and reading this book is riding those waves of his life right along with him. Izzy does not hold back the emotions the highs the lows, the unbelievable swells of what all of those experiences made and the lasting impact on his life. With the help of Daniel Paisner, Izzy creates a way for us to be on that first wave he rode with his father on Tourmaline, or struggling for air off Reunion Island, and even on the side of the road in Mexico trying to get Isaiah to take that medicine. Laid out bare are Izzy's successes and failures in such a raw, honest way, one cannot help but examine how honestly we deal with our own experiences. In an interview with CBS News a five years ago, Izzy concludes the interview by saying, "I'm so exhausted but my heart is giant," after a day at Surfers Healing camp. If your heart is not giant after reading this, you may want to check your pulse and make sure it's still beating.
June 12, 2014
Not bad. I watched the movie "Surfwise" on Netflix last week and I was intrigued with the Paskowitz family and in the middle of Googling (because that is what I do when I like things, I Google the crap out of them) I stumbled across this book by son #4 (Izzy) who wrote about his unconventional childhood and then life with his middle autistic child.
I'm not going to lie, Izzy did some shitty things in the earlier years after his son was diagnosed. In fact, he effectively ran away to surf leaving his wife to deal with EVERYTHING including their two other children. It was a bad decision. But you know what, Izzy owns up to that in this book and he is a big man and he admits what he did was wrong and so I gave him props for that. I do like the surf camp they founded and that it is helping autistic children. Still not sure about Dorian Paskowitz but Izzy in here painted his family/childhood better then the movie did which I found very interesting. I do wonder what the younger kids thought of their years wild and on the road, because since Izzy was #4 he remembered houses and going to school, something that the last few kids did not have.
Nice quick read.
I'm not going to lie, Izzy did some shitty things in the earlier years after his son was diagnosed. In fact, he effectively ran away to surf leaving his wife to deal with EVERYTHING including their two other children. It was a bad decision. But you know what, Izzy owns up to that in this book and he is a big man and he admits what he did was wrong and so I gave him props for that. I do like the surf camp they founded and that it is helping autistic children. Still not sure about Dorian Paskowitz but Izzy in here painted his family/childhood better then the movie did which I found very interesting. I do wonder what the younger kids thought of their years wild and on the road, because since Izzy was #4 he remembered houses and going to school, something that the last few kids did not have.
Nice quick read.
September 26, 2012
The book is great. I didn't want to put it down. You feel like you are actually sitting down with Izzy and he's telling you about his life. Great read ~ awesome person! I've been blessed to have met Izzy and my son has been part of what this incredible man has done for the autistic community. Loved it and love Izzy and Surfers Healing.
September 26, 2012
Although I am only part way through this book. I am already finding it is changing the way I view things in life, especially the importance of material items.
It is a great read, written by a truly inspirational person. Thank you for sharing your story Izzy!
It is a great read, written by a truly inspirational person. Thank you for sharing your story Izzy!
August 19, 2012
An enjoyable read from start to finish.
October 1, 2012
Really enjoyed this book. Had already seen the videodoc so I kinda knew the story, but I so admire them for their work with the kids. Quick, easy read.
December 30, 2017
Loved the story of the Paskowitz family! Such an interesting story of how they grew up surfing and helping Autistic children later on- well written - love reading books by Dan Paisner!!!
December 17, 2014
Izzy Paskowitz had a legendary surf lifestyle upbringing among eight brothers and a sister sired by counter-culture rebel Doc Paskowitz. Probably like most, I got onto this book after watching the fascinating documentary about the family, Surfwise, and I wanted to know more.
Izzy rambles through the good, the bad, the ugly. There is a strong voice here, but the book isn't very vivid, not strongly dramatized in scenes, more a series of anecdotes. I was about to give up on it until Izzy began to relate his competitive surfing career, his marriage, and his trials with an autistic son. At last, something felt at stake. You realize its title should have been Scratching FOR the Horizon, since that's what surfers do, and it's a metaphor for Izzy's growth. He is hard on himself for his immaturity and self-centeredness, but of course he was raised to be a surf bum, not a husband, provider, father. He discusses and sometimes depicts his painful growth.
The book's experienced wordsmith, Daniel Paisner, finally gets Izzy's memoir rolling, putting behind it its meandering early structure. Izzy is a likable guy with some great stories to tell, and I am glad to have spent time with him. You can't help but root for him and to wish him the best.
Izzy rambles through the good, the bad, the ugly. There is a strong voice here, but the book isn't very vivid, not strongly dramatized in scenes, more a series of anecdotes. I was about to give up on it until Izzy began to relate his competitive surfing career, his marriage, and his trials with an autistic son. At last, something felt at stake. You realize its title should have been Scratching FOR the Horizon, since that's what surfers do, and it's a metaphor for Izzy's growth. He is hard on himself for his immaturity and self-centeredness, but of course he was raised to be a surf bum, not a husband, provider, father. He discusses and sometimes depicts his painful growth.
The book's experienced wordsmith, Daniel Paisner, finally gets Izzy's memoir rolling, putting behind it its meandering early structure. Izzy is a likable guy with some great stories to tell, and I am glad to have spent time with him. You can't help but root for him and to wish him the best.
May 13, 2013
From the POV of an old surfer I enjoyed the candid writing style of this book very much. Izzy's conversational story is one of a kind. As a young kid I was fascinated to read about his father and family in all the surfing mags and dreamed of such a life, traveling from one break to another, snagging rides at secret spots. Having read the book though, I can see that it was a way of life not without hardship and trauma. Witty, funny, sad, troubling, Izzy comes through it all however, strengthened by experience and then goes on to establish an amazing organization that seeks to bring healing and understanding to those with autism. A look at an amazing family and a truly unique way of life.
November 9, 2012
Loved the book. I really like how it was written as if Izzy was talking to you across the table as he was relating his story and experiences. He comes across as a down to earth guy with a big heart. For all the craziness of how he was brought up as a kid and not having a formal education he is very matter of fact about it without whining or blaming his parents. I enjoyed how he started Surfers' Healing Camp. Overall a great book!
Read
March 26, 2016A book for surfers, baby boomers and anyone who's considered taking their family off the grid. Paskowitz reflects on his family's unconventional 1960s lifestyle - 9 boys in a camper van, no school, just surf - and how this unusual environment created the person (and famous surfer) he is now. His casual style reads like a personal conversation.
October 20, 2012
I'd seen the movie Surfwise and thought reading this book would add to the experience.
It did, but the style the book was written it, far to casual and conversational, was not to my liking. I put the book down and didn't finish it.
It did, but the style the book was written it, far to casual and conversational, was not to my liking. I put the book down and didn't finish it.
January 6, 2016
LOVED THIS BOOK!
March 31, 2017
nothing beats a behind-the-scenes look at a surfers life. loved this!
Want to read
May 27, 2017I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13118458
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13118458
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews