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Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave
With grit, poetry, and humor, Peter Heller, acclaimed author of The River and The Whale Warriors recounts his remarkable journey of discovery—of surfing, an entirely new challenge; of the ocean’s beauty and power; of the strange surf subculture; of love; and, most of all, of how to seek adventure while crafting a meaningful life.Author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Dog Stars Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for Literature Having resolved to master a big-hollow wave—that is, to go from kook (surfese for beginner) to shredder—in a single year, Heller travels from Southern California down the coast of Mexico in the company of his girlfriend and the eccentric surfers they meet. Exuberant and fearless, Heller explores the technique and science of surfing the secrets of its culture, and the environmental ravages to the stunning coastline he visits. As Heller plumbs the working of his own heart and finds joy in both love and surfing, he affords readers vivid insight into this fascinating world, with all of its perils and pleasures, its absurdity and wonder. Exhilarating, entertaining, and moving, Kook is a love story between a man and his surfboard, a man and his girlfriend, a not-so-old man and the sea.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2010
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2992 people want to read
About the author
Peter Heller
35 books3,517 followersThere is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Peter Heller holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in both fiction and poetry. An award-winning adventure writer and longtime contributor to NPR, Heller is a contributing editor at Outside magazine, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure, and a regular contributor to Bloomberg Businessweek. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Kook, The Whale Warriors, and Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
Peter Heller holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in both fiction and poetry. An award-winning adventure writer and longtime contributor to NPR, Heller is a contributing editor at Outside magazine, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure, and a regular contributor to Bloomberg Businessweek. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Kook, The Whale Warriors, and Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
October 2, 2024
Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave was a delightful memoir by one of my favorite contemporary authors, Peter Heller. While having Heller living in Denver makes it easier to be able to listen to him speak, all of us Coloradoans need to travel when we want to bask in the magic of the ocean and all of its beautiful attendant sounds, sights, smells, sand and beautiful horizons whether it be sunrise or sunsets.
"Ocean. There isn't another word in the English language as strange and lovely and broad. Ocean. There is a trochaic swell moving through it, rising and falling, so that as I say it my spirit rises and falls, too, softly, like a boat or board. If you look at it long enough, it is a word that opens and spreads out, makes a circle of a far horizon, a word on which rain can fall and dimple or sweep across in lashing gusts and leave unperturbed. A word that is calm enough to look at, almost lulling, but also hints at holding unreckonable power. The O, far off, where the tempest circles, the fearsome storms that beget the waves. And the N, I suppose is the far shore, thousands of miles hence."
Heller, in his mid-forties and in an admitted mid-life crisis, joined a friend in southern California as they both embraced surfing and learning the craft in Hunington Beach, Surfside City to all. Becoming enthralled with the sport, he returned to Denver and persuaded his then-girlfriend, soon-to-be-wife, Kim, to join him for a month of surfing in the Baja of Mexico as they outfitted a Volkswagon Van, affectionately known as the Beast, and began a trip of a lifetime. Having been vacationing in Mexico at every available opportunity since the mid-1980s, we were often in the Baja at Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos. In those days we spent many a lovely day in a boat on the Sea of Cortez with its crystal blue waters and dolphins playfully surrounding our boat. Snorkeling was such a beautiful experience in those pristine waters. It was not uncommon as we drove up the Pacific coast to see whales breaching in the waters. Sadly, we no longer visit that part of Mexico because it has become so much like an extension of southern California largely due to the rampant and out-of-control development throughout that former pristine region of Mexico.
"The Sea of Cortez is one of the richest marine zones in the world. A third of the world's whale and dolphin species hang out here. Sea lions breed and bark on the skirts of the numerous rock islands. Blue whales, our largest cousins, swim up to the Sea and breed."
I know that Peter Heller's book has been criticized because of his pitch for the saving of our environment and the dangers of climate change. And I say good for Heller for speaking out. It is something that we all must heed. But it is not all lessons in surfing and caring for our environment, it is also a beautiful love story and an impromptu wedding on the beaches of La Paz and a honeymoon at the iconic Hotel California in Todos Santos. I loved this book.
"Ocean. There isn't another word in the English language as strange and lovely and broad. Ocean. There is a trochaic swell moving through it, rising and falling, so that as I say it my spirit rises and falls, too, softly, like a boat or board. If you look at it long enough, it is a word that opens and spreads out, makes a circle of a far horizon, a word on which rain can fall and dimple or sweep across in lashing gusts and leave unperturbed. A word that is calm enough to look at, almost lulling, but also hints at holding unreckonable power. The O, far off, where the tempest circles, the fearsome storms that beget the waves. And the N, I suppose is the far shore, thousands of miles hence."
Heller, in his mid-forties and in an admitted mid-life crisis, joined a friend in southern California as they both embraced surfing and learning the craft in Hunington Beach, Surfside City to all. Becoming enthralled with the sport, he returned to Denver and persuaded his then-girlfriend, soon-to-be-wife, Kim, to join him for a month of surfing in the Baja of Mexico as they outfitted a Volkswagon Van, affectionately known as the Beast, and began a trip of a lifetime. Having been vacationing in Mexico at every available opportunity since the mid-1980s, we were often in the Baja at Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos. In those days we spent many a lovely day in a boat on the Sea of Cortez with its crystal blue waters and dolphins playfully surrounding our boat. Snorkeling was such a beautiful experience in those pristine waters. It was not uncommon as we drove up the Pacific coast to see whales breaching in the waters. Sadly, we no longer visit that part of Mexico because it has become so much like an extension of southern California largely due to the rampant and out-of-control development throughout that former pristine region of Mexico.
"The Sea of Cortez is one of the richest marine zones in the world. A third of the world's whale and dolphin species hang out here. Sea lions breed and bark on the skirts of the numerous rock islands. Blue whales, our largest cousins, swim up to the Sea and breed."
I know that Peter Heller's book has been criticized because of his pitch for the saving of our environment and the dangers of climate change. And I say good for Heller for speaking out. It is something that we all must heed. But it is not all lessons in surfing and caring for our environment, it is also a beautiful love story and an impromptu wedding on the beaches of La Paz and a honeymoon at the iconic Hotel California in Todos Santos. I loved this book.
January 20, 2013
Before I bought Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave, I read a number of reviews that were less than flattering. Most of those complained that the book is far too heavy-handed on the environmentalist side. I see where those comments came from, but as someone who's always been a strong proponent of environmentalism and who believes that any nature-based sport has to go hand in hand with a healthy respect for the planet, I didn't find Peter Heller's focus on the perils of disappearing ocean resources the least bit jarring. Instead I found that it adds to the whole experience he went through and talks about.
I'm not sure he's a particularly inspiring role model, but that's not his point. He set out to learn to surf well in six months' time. Along the way he had a wealth of experiences, some beautiful and some less so, but he records them all with a journalist's level of dispassion and objectivity, as much as can be expected from someone detailing his own growth path. I'm not sure it matters if you love or don't love surfing, or if you love or don't love the way surfers are generally perceived by our society. It also doesn't really matter if you like or don't like Peter Heller. At its heart, Kook is a middle-aged coming-of-age story. It's about surfing and love and learning and maturing and growing into one's own skin, and it's about all those things every bit as much as it's about the danger our planet is in from development and over-farming the seas. At its core, it's a message about slowing down and learning the art of human kindness.
The book is extremely well written. Heller is an excellent storyteller. The narrative flows, it's easy to understand even when he throws surf-specific terminology into the mix -- there are always definitions nearby -- and the book's a nice fast read. It won't teach you to learn to surf. It might not even inspire you to want to try. I wish the woman he brought on this odyssey with him, who becomes his wife in the middle of the book, had a chance to tell her side of the story. Ultimately, though, the tale is Peter Heller's, and he tells it well.
I'm not sure he's a particularly inspiring role model, but that's not his point. He set out to learn to surf well in six months' time. Along the way he had a wealth of experiences, some beautiful and some less so, but he records them all with a journalist's level of dispassion and objectivity, as much as can be expected from someone detailing his own growth path. I'm not sure it matters if you love or don't love surfing, or if you love or don't love the way surfers are generally perceived by our society. It also doesn't really matter if you like or don't like Peter Heller. At its heart, Kook is a middle-aged coming-of-age story. It's about surfing and love and learning and maturing and growing into one's own skin, and it's about all those things every bit as much as it's about the danger our planet is in from development and over-farming the seas. At its core, it's a message about slowing down and learning the art of human kindness.
The book is extremely well written. Heller is an excellent storyteller. The narrative flows, it's easy to understand even when he throws surf-specific terminology into the mix -- there are always definitions nearby -- and the book's a nice fast read. It won't teach you to learn to surf. It might not even inspire you to want to try. I wish the woman he brought on this odyssey with him, who becomes his wife in the middle of the book, had a chance to tell her side of the story. Ultimately, though, the tale is Peter Heller's, and he tells it well.
October 11, 2023
I think Heller wanted to write about learning how to surf but he couldn't help also writing about over-fishing the ocean (the poor whales, dolphins, tuna, etc.) and man's general ruination of the Earth. Either book would have been good on its own because Heller is so damn talented, but together I think the multiple topics made it much more interesting. That is, it started out very appealing, but as it went on detailing every surf outing ad infinitum, in great detail, it did grow rather tedious. I love everything (else) that Heller writes. Any other author would have gotten 2-2.5 stars from me but man, I can't do that to this guy.
September 1, 2010
It is always fun to read a book with your home town involved and I really enjoyed the casual writing of Peter Heller as he describes his initiation into the surfing world. I live in Surf City (now trademarked!), otherwise known as Huntington Beach, CA and where Heller first catches the surfing bug. Even though I have lived here and walk to the beach almost everyday, I never realized how hard it is to surf. I have watched surfers my whole life but have never tried it myself. The author takes you through the steps and you learn how easy it was for him to become addicted to the sport.
Surfing has become a violent sport since there are so many people trying it in limited space. Heller goes into brief detail about the reasons for the arguments over the real estate of waves. The writing is breathtakingly beautiful just like the scenery he is writing about. There are parts where you are on the edge of your seat and other parts where you just say "ahhhh" such as when he marries his long time girlfriend. Heller also discusses climate change and yes, one small fact about dogs: they are related to whales. Huh? I did have to go look that one up. This book is the perfect cap on summer. So if you are ever in Huntington Beach at Dog Beach before 7am, be sure to wave at me. I am the one with the mini dachshund demanding surfers to pet her.
Surfing has become a violent sport since there are so many people trying it in limited space. Heller goes into brief detail about the reasons for the arguments over the real estate of waves. The writing is breathtakingly beautiful just like the scenery he is writing about. There are parts where you are on the edge of your seat and other parts where you just say "ahhhh" such as when he marries his long time girlfriend. Heller also discusses climate change and yes, one small fact about dogs: they are related to whales. Huh? I did have to go look that one up. This book is the perfect cap on summer. So if you are ever in Huntington Beach at Dog Beach before 7am, be sure to wave at me. I am the one with the mini dachshund demanding surfers to pet her.
July 4, 2021
Peter Heller, nearing fifty, becomes obsessed with learning to surf and surfing. He and his fiancée-then-wife, Kim, travel to Mexico for this purpose, which is where most of the story takes place.
Reading the reviews, this book is like an inkblot test. Everybody sees something different, and it probably reflects who we are more than the actual memoir. For me as well.
The book has lots of rich descriptions of the surfing experience, and of the topography and people of Mexico. Also, the grit of it. As soon as you cross the border, it's the same land mass as the US, but WAYYYY different. Heller's eco-lectures, necessary and depressing, were repetitive. Other reviewers who surf say he did an ace job of describing the experience. He's a good describer.
Here's my inkblot reflection: I kept putting myself in his wife's shoes, and it wasn't great. If it were me, I would have gone home pretty early and left him to obsess on his own. Heller, at 48, seemed to have the relationship maturity of a 20-year-old. He admits rushing all the time to get to the waves, sometimes (often? usually? this was implied) ignoring her discomfort. He resents her for the time it takes to put on sunblock and braid her hair (which seemed like her daily, silent mutiny.) After finishing the book, I wondered, where did they go to the bathroom? How did they shower? For a girl in a fairly hostile environment, that would be something to deal with, but he doesn't mention it. They ate breakfast cereal, powdered milk, and granola bars. Sometimes they were at a single campground for weeks. How did Kim manage? She wasn't as good a surfer and wasn't obsessed. What did she do with herself when out of the water? Besides scratch the many, many bug bites that tormented her.
This was a stereotypical midlife crisis, but unique in the grittiness of the experience. I'm happy that he got to chase after his dream, but it wasn't a gripping memoir.
Reading the reviews, this book is like an inkblot test. Everybody sees something different, and it probably reflects who we are more than the actual memoir. For me as well.
The book has lots of rich descriptions of the surfing experience, and of the topography and people of Mexico. Also, the grit of it. As soon as you cross the border, it's the same land mass as the US, but WAYYYY different. Heller's eco-lectures, necessary and depressing, were repetitive. Other reviewers who surf say he did an ace job of describing the experience. He's a good describer.
Here's my inkblot reflection: I kept putting myself in his wife's shoes, and it wasn't great. If it were me, I would have gone home pretty early and left him to obsess on his own. Heller, at 48, seemed to have the relationship maturity of a 20-year-old. He admits rushing all the time to get to the waves, sometimes (often? usually? this was implied) ignoring her discomfort. He resents her for the time it takes to put on sunblock and braid her hair (which seemed like her daily, silent mutiny.) After finishing the book, I wondered, where did they go to the bathroom? How did they shower? For a girl in a fairly hostile environment, that would be something to deal with, but he doesn't mention it. They ate breakfast cereal, powdered milk, and granola bars. Sometimes they were at a single campground for weeks. How did Kim manage? She wasn't as good a surfer and wasn't obsessed. What did she do with herself when out of the water? Besides scratch the many, many bug bites that tormented her.
This was a stereotypical midlife crisis, but unique in the grittiness of the experience. I'm happy that he got to chase after his dream, but it wasn't a gripping memoir.
August 12, 2011
My second book about surfing in an week ... This time, the author, a writer in his forties, living in Colorado, discovers surfing and decides to really pursue it for a while, going from being a "kook" (beginner) to big waves in only a few months. He is really ambitious, surfing every day, and eventually goes on a surf trip to Mexico that lasts several weeks. His girlfriend, Kim, is with him, and on the journey he not only learns about surfing, but also about love. I especially liked his descriptions of Mexico and their journey in their old VW van (the "Beast"), and he made the fascination of surfing more clear to me, the love of the ocean and all its creatures. There is a lot of environmentalist stuff in the book, and he is right about protection of the coasts etc., of course, but at times that was too much preaching.
February 17, 2021
They say when you meet a celeb you are often disappointed, for you find out that Sean Penn is a self-serious artist rather than the lovable stoner Jeff Spicoli. I'd say something similar happened with me and Peter Heller in Kook (though perhaps the reverse of the Penn-Spicoli example). Heller, the author of such riveting and evocative works like The Dog Stars, and The River, turns out to be an aspiring surfer bro who punctuates his descriptions of learning the craft with words like "yay" and "friggin." Since it I'm assuming this is his autobiographical voice, I was a bit jarred to find that the man is less the serious author I'd pictured and more an everyday funhog with a penchant for writing really good novels. The scene in which he makes contact with his future wife by writing her a note in a cafe that explains he is a shy journalist who has written about his adventures in many famous magazines was cringe-worthy. Still, spending time with Heller as he attempts to go from kook to big barrel surfer in six months is pretty entertaining, and just right for a summer read. But in comparison to the only other surfing memoir I know, William Finnegan's essentially perfect Barbarian Days, this doesn't hold a candle.
April 26, 2016
Quite possibly the best book I could have picked for sitting around for two days on jury duty. It is so easy to get lost in Heller's adventures--I laughed and cried (AWKWARD WHEN IT HAPPENS IN THE JURY WAITING ROOM) throughout the whole thing. There were times I found him quite a bit of a jerkface towards his girlfriend/wife, even more so than the moments he actually acknowledged it, but she was also clearly fine putting up with it. Despite that, I loved all the heroes and asswipes they met along their journey down Mexico's Pacific coast and how he slowly began to pick up on surfing tips. I loved his environmental vignettes, no matter how horrifying they were, and it has certainly piqued my curiosity to learn even more about sea life and what I can do to help (I may have to put my craving for fish on hiatus for a while). It's hard not to find poetry in the ocean, and Heller takes it with gusto. Excuse me while I lose myself in youtube videos of the Mexican Pipeline....
February 22, 2016
I really enjoy Peter Heller's writing. Earlier this year I read his fiction book The Painter and now this memoir about his adventures in Baja trying to learn how to surf at age 48.
I learned quite a bit about the plight of the oceans, the history of surfing in Southern California and Mexico, and about Heller's own personality. Is there anything particularly amazing about this book? Not really but there are passages that really made me feel like I was out on the water with him. There were scenes from his marriage that illustrate some things that probably everyone can recognize in their own behavior - and those things aren't always nice.
Some of the surfing stuff is too technical for me, even at the end of the book, but this wasn't really about the technicalities of catching waves it was about the lifestyle of the surfers and the wonder and might of the sea.
I have two more of Heller's books (one fiction one non) and I'm sure I'll read them in the coming year.
I learned quite a bit about the plight of the oceans, the history of surfing in Southern California and Mexico, and about Heller's own personality. Is there anything particularly amazing about this book? Not really but there are passages that really made me feel like I was out on the water with him. There were scenes from his marriage that illustrate some things that probably everyone can recognize in their own behavior - and those things aren't always nice.
Some of the surfing stuff is too technical for me, even at the end of the book, but this wasn't really about the technicalities of catching waves it was about the lifestyle of the surfers and the wonder and might of the sea.
I have two more of Heller's books (one fiction one non) and I'm sure I'll read them in the coming year.
September 28, 2025
Overall a fun story with some relatable moments as someone who also learned to surf at a later age. The writing was not as good as William Flanaigan's Barbarian Days, but that is an extremely high bar to set.
A common complaint of this book I saw before starting was on the author's drawn out commentary on environmental issues, especially the ocean. I think its impossible to separate surfing and ocean health so their inclusion made sense to me, but at the same time I was always a little relieved when he would finally go back to talking about catching waves.
Good book.
A common complaint of this book I saw before starting was on the author's drawn out commentary on environmental issues, especially the ocean. I think its impossible to separate surfing and ocean health so their inclusion made sense to me, but at the same time I was always a little relieved when he would finally go back to talking about catching waves.
Good book.
March 3, 2025
Honestly not the greatest book ever but I think I just really like reading about surfing when it’s written by a good writer. It’s cool to hear someone else’s perspective on something I love and it’s cool to read some of what I feel about surfing put into words.
May 30, 2022
This is a love song to the ocean, to nature, to adventure, and to life itself, told with humor, clarity, and lush language. I didn’t want it to end.
September 20, 2023
Heller is a wordsmith, but I much prefer his fiction.
August 17, 2022
Being the wife of a surfer was not enough to feel a connection to this book. Maybe if I was familiar with Mexico and the areas he was surfing I would have enjoyed the book more.
March 8, 2025
Really enjoyed learning to surf with Peter.
February 17, 2021
It pains me to give this book only three stars. I love Peter Heller’s writing. The Dog Stars is my go-to gift for reader friends, and I’ve greatly enjoyed his non-fiction pieces in magazines, as well as his other novels. I’m afraid that what held me back from loving Kook might have been that I don’t love Peter Heller himself, just his writing.
The first half of the book made me cringe so frequently. Yes, the book is called Kook, so perhaps I have no right to complain about how unabashedly he displayed his extreme kook-ness all over the place. He’s committed to improvement in a short period of time and has no time to waste pretending to be anything else, but he’s also so painfully judgmental of others! The memory of whether he, a sophisticated and educated writer, could possibly date someone who would describe a scene of natural beauty as “pretty as a postcard” made me want to throttle him with his Bruno 6-7 on her behalf. Every description of his impatience at Kim’s sunscreen application and hair braiding made me boil. His great surprise when more experienced surfers would thoughtfully suggest a wave that she could also ride. I also couldn’t believe James Pribram was so patient with him. Heller frequently came across as being very selfish.
On the upside, Kook is frequently beautiful. It’s full of wonderful humans, surfers and non-surfers. I loved all the stories of the Mexican communities in Baja. The piece about swimming with the seals was unforgettable. Heller’s warnings about the fragility of the oceans are spot-on. His section about The Cove made me openly weep. And his writing, particularly when he’s left himself out of it, are 5 stars for me. I’ll continue to be a fan, I just hope he’s being very, very good to his extremely patient wife.
The first half of the book made me cringe so frequently. Yes, the book is called Kook, so perhaps I have no right to complain about how unabashedly he displayed his extreme kook-ness all over the place. He’s committed to improvement in a short period of time and has no time to waste pretending to be anything else, but he’s also so painfully judgmental of others! The memory of whether he, a sophisticated and educated writer, could possibly date someone who would describe a scene of natural beauty as “pretty as a postcard” made me want to throttle him with his Bruno 6-7 on her behalf. Every description of his impatience at Kim’s sunscreen application and hair braiding made me boil. His great surprise when more experienced surfers would thoughtfully suggest a wave that she could also ride. I also couldn’t believe James Pribram was so patient with him. Heller frequently came across as being very selfish.
On the upside, Kook is frequently beautiful. It’s full of wonderful humans, surfers and non-surfers. I loved all the stories of the Mexican communities in Baja. The piece about swimming with the seals was unforgettable. Heller’s warnings about the fragility of the oceans are spot-on. His section about The Cove made me openly weep. And his writing, particularly when he’s left himself out of it, are 5 stars for me. I’ll continue to be a fan, I just hope he’s being very, very good to his extremely patient wife.
November 6, 2022
Peter Heller is an author I discovered from Anne of the “What Should I Read Next” podcast. I’ve really enjoyed his fiction so far (especially “The River”). This is my second of his non-fiction travel adventure books and I have to say, I’m going to keep to his fiction works going forward.
I find it kind of surprising (and at times, aggravating) to read how much interpersonal drama this guy manages to have. In both this book and in “Hell or High Water” the conflicts he has with the people around him make me question what kind of person he is in real life.
I do love stories of people finding new interests, passions, and success later in life, which is what made me pick this up despite not being all that interested in surfing. This is Peter’s story of finding his love of surfing at 48 and pursuing rapid growth in skills and ability in a year. Overall, it was relatively interesting, but felt too long and drawn out; I was ready for it to be over about halfway through. His passion for the sport didn’t manage to transfer to me through the page.
Also, as an Asian woman, I found all of his constant remarking and descriptions of his wife’s Asian-ness so odd and uncomfortable. I can’t actually believe that a lot of it wasn’t edited out; it’s that cringey. The worst is the story of him using a haiku to try to pick her up when he first sees her in a cafe because that’s “from her Asian culture” - she’s a Chinese woman, dude. Haikus are a part of Japanese culture. His constant generalization of all Asians is so dated; I wonder what his wife thinks of this book.
I find it kind of surprising (and at times, aggravating) to read how much interpersonal drama this guy manages to have. In both this book and in “Hell or High Water” the conflicts he has with the people around him make me question what kind of person he is in real life.
I do love stories of people finding new interests, passions, and success later in life, which is what made me pick this up despite not being all that interested in surfing. This is Peter’s story of finding his love of surfing at 48 and pursuing rapid growth in skills and ability in a year. Overall, it was relatively interesting, but felt too long and drawn out; I was ready for it to be over about halfway through. His passion for the sport didn’t manage to transfer to me through the page.
Also, as an Asian woman, I found all of his constant remarking and descriptions of his wife’s Asian-ness so odd and uncomfortable. I can’t actually believe that a lot of it wasn’t edited out; it’s that cringey. The worst is the story of him using a haiku to try to pick her up when he first sees her in a cafe because that’s “from her Asian culture” - she’s a Chinese woman, dude. Haikus are a part of Japanese culture. His constant generalization of all Asians is so dated; I wonder what his wife thinks of this book.
July 26, 2016
Heller annoyed me in minor ways every now and then, but for the most part I really, really liked this book, and at times his writing is absolutely beautiful. I've never surfed in my life (I have a love/it-freaks-me-the-hell-out relationship with the ocean), but Southern California has been my home away from home since birth, and I've always been a little fascinated with surfing and surf culture, so this book was right up my alley (and also really made me wish I were on some mostly deserted beach on the Pacific coast of Mexico right about now).
A number of folks have complained about Heller's inclusion of environmental and conservation matters here, but obviously I whole-heartedly approve of it, and wish all surfers were as conscious of what's going on in our oceans as Heller is. And, not related to that at all, I also really kind of liked this quote of his on love:
Anyway, I'm definitely planning on reading other books of his before too long. This one was certainly a great way to spend a summer afternoon, mostly deserted Mexican beach or no.
A number of folks have complained about Heller's inclusion of environmental and conservation matters here, but obviously I whole-heartedly approve of it, and wish all surfers were as conscious of what's going on in our oceans as Heller is. And, not related to that at all, I also really kind of liked this quote of his on love:
Is it possible to love by simply not being an ass? I don't think so. But it goes a long way to clearing a space where love can happen.
Anyway, I'm definitely planning on reading other books of his before too long. This one was certainly a great way to spend a summer afternoon, mostly deserted Mexican beach or no.
January 21, 2022
A surf book is a surf book so if you enjoy the genre you will enjoy this. Heller gives background descriptions of many of the Mexican Pacific’s best surf spots, and also some great profiles of amazing Mexican surfers. His writing style is so description-heavy that I lost connection to the story in several spots - the overly rich vocabulary seemed just a flagrant display of word dexterity and I realize I appreciate simplicity better; I find it less distracting. Harder still was the relationship the author has with his wife, which really seemed sexist and objectified his passive Asian wife as being a cute doll who “chose” not to surf on days when he insisted on indulging himself without considering her. This is not a human I would ever care to hang out with and I wouldn’t reread the book, but I did appreciate the beach and surfer stories.
May 1, 2012
Really enjoyed this book because it breaks down in detail the feelings of a "kook" which is a first-time surfer. The rejection, the pain, the difficulties are all spelled out in humor and with an eagle eye observation.
My favorite parts of the book are the writings of when Peter went surfing in Mexico. This telling is why you need to get this book because the stories are fascinating and entertaining. If you like outdoor/adventure memoirs you will enjoy this book. Of course if you love the water you will especially enjoy.
My favorite parts of the book are the writings of when Peter went surfing in Mexico. This telling is why you need to get this book because the stories are fascinating and entertaining. If you like outdoor/adventure memoirs you will enjoy this book. Of course if you love the water you will especially enjoy.
September 17, 2010
As someone with an inexplicable obsession with surfing despite virtually no actual experience on a surfboard, I had very high hopes for this book, but it was a big disappointment, in large part because it wasn't really about surfing. Instead it was a muddy stew of different more ambitious books about love and life and environmentalism that really didn't belong here, and through it all I just wanted him to shut up and get back to surfing. Not recommended.
May 27, 2013
This made me want to buy a Vannagan and drive through Mexico, seriously I thought how can I try this. I loved the story about how he fell in love with ocean, fell in love with the woman he was with, and how it all changed his life. Surfing has that ability to change who you are in a really fundamental way, for the better. Learning to slow down and not take life and the world around for granted is a pretty great message.
August 24, 2012
Been reading a few books about surfing & this one was lacking. The premise of the book caught my eye & I actually gave it to my boyfriend as a bday gift. The descriptions of his excitement about learning were fun & well written, but his "midlife crisis" feelings felt a little shallow & insincere as did his reflections on his girlfriend.
April 14, 2018
Overwrought and cloyingly cheesy. The guy's determination and achievements in such a short time - I speak from experience when I say surfing is fiendishly difficult - are admirable but the humour's grating at best and the way he refers to his partner is patronising, weird and sexist, even when he's using her to illustrate his own self-centered egoism.
May 29, 2015
This book was amazing, you learn about, life, surfing and love. This book made me realize how important surfing is to me as well, and how great I have it in life. This book is a real eye opener and I would recommend it to anyone really.
December 15, 2019
Not my favorite of his, but beautiful writing about the ocean and surfing.
April 10, 2022
Overall I thought this book was a little better than ok. As a (forever advanced beginner) surfer who took up surfing in middle age, I could really relate to the learning-to-surf parts of the book and thought they rang very true: how you may be lucky to get one good ride during many surf sessions while you are learning; how it is challenging to assert yourself in the line-up and go for waves close to the peak (even more so as a woman than a man); the thrill of actually catching an unbroken wave on your own, riding it down the line and maybe turning; how paddling for waves requires different muscles and you really just need to surf more to get any better, etc. Surfing is much harder than it looks! Especially if you didn't grow up at the ocean. I was also interested in the Mexican surf culture having just taken a trip to the Punta Mita area (where they didn't go, oh well).
Unfortunately, identifying with his surf experiences wasn't enough to make a great book IMHO. The writing didn't do that much for me and I am left wondering what the point of it all was other than to check the box. It seems like he glossed over many other issues as well, such as their personal safety or what it was really like to live out of a van for months in such close quarters with your new wife.... The author may have escaped his mid-life crisis, but he never seemed to learn any patience. While he apparently loves his wife, the way he spoke about her grated on me and I'd love to hear Kim's version of the experience. (Applying sunscreen is very important, lol) While he also obviously has great respect for the ocean and other surfers, he somehow stayed a "Kook" through it all, which shouldn't be a point of pride. It seems like he took some stupid risks (or I hope he was a better surfer than he let on). From the epilogue I am left wondering if he even surfs anymore? That seems like a lot of time and effort to accomplish a goal and set it aside - especially for a sport he claimed to love and be addicted to - but I guess it makes for a good book pitch and afforded him a surf odyssey in Mexico.
Like another reviewer, and as someone who has skied and played tennis, this paragraph rang true to me as well:
"With a good instructor, one can learn to turn a pair of skis in the first hour. Or hit a tennis ball over a net. With surfing, if you have an instructor who gives you a great shove as the wave lifts you, it may take days before you can reliably pop up and ride standing straight into the beach. Weeks before you have the strength to catch your own waves on a regular basis. Months before you can do it with enough control to get ahead of the break and begin to ride across the blue face of a wave. And this is on easy , soft, slow, forgiving waves. Come every day, give surfing the best of yourself first thing every morning, and you might have a chance over several months of beginning to actually surf. Maybe."
Unfortunately, identifying with his surf experiences wasn't enough to make a great book IMHO. The writing didn't do that much for me and I am left wondering what the point of it all was other than to check the box. It seems like he glossed over many other issues as well, such as their personal safety or what it was really like to live out of a van for months in such close quarters with your new wife.... The author may have escaped his mid-life crisis, but he never seemed to learn any patience. While he apparently loves his wife, the way he spoke about her grated on me and I'd love to hear Kim's version of the experience. (Applying sunscreen is very important, lol) While he also obviously has great respect for the ocean and other surfers, he somehow stayed a "Kook" through it all, which shouldn't be a point of pride. It seems like he took some stupid risks (or I hope he was a better surfer than he let on). From the epilogue I am left wondering if he even surfs anymore? That seems like a lot of time and effort to accomplish a goal and set it aside - especially for a sport he claimed to love and be addicted to - but I guess it makes for a good book pitch and afforded him a surf odyssey in Mexico.
Like another reviewer, and as someone who has skied and played tennis, this paragraph rang true to me as well:
"With a good instructor, one can learn to turn a pair of skis in the first hour. Or hit a tennis ball over a net. With surfing, if you have an instructor who gives you a great shove as the wave lifts you, it may take days before you can reliably pop up and ride standing straight into the beach. Weeks before you have the strength to catch your own waves on a regular basis. Months before you can do it with enough control to get ahead of the break and begin to ride across the blue face of a wave. And this is on easy , soft, slow, forgiving waves. Come every day, give surfing the best of yourself first thing every morning, and you might have a chance over several months of beginning to actually surf. Maybe."
November 3, 2020
Kook, by Peter Heller, was an interesting and relatable book that I was able to make connections to on several occasions and levels. It was captivating enough to read, but barely. It doesn’t exactly compare to some of the other books in it’s genre, like Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life
Book by William Finnegan. The book was clearly written as a story for others to read, recounting the author’s life as he grows and ages. When I have talked to others who have read this book, they have all been figures similar to Peter Heller. That is, middle aged men who are at least somewhat decent at surfing and are going through a midlife crisis.
Kook is about a maturing man’s chase of his newfound passion for surfing. He shares large snippets of his adventures, travelling from Southern California down to the coast of Mexico. Along the way, he meets many surfers, some of whom are more experienced, others in the same boat as him. Peter makes a goal to become a good surfer in one year. His girlfriend, who tags along the way, seems to be able to put up with his nonsense and sometimes jerkiness. Not only does Peter get better at surfing, but he finds an internal change.
Heller was able to make surfing sound very fun, but I may be biased reading the vivid descriptions of a peeling tube – I’ve experienced it myself. To those who haven’t, this may be less interesting. His writing surrounding his realizations around surfing were rather sappy, I thought. He related the growth he found to his new love for his girlfriend, and the ocean, as hte book drew to a close. The book was oftentimes more about his mid life crisis than anything else, and it became a chore to read at times, dragging on about uneventful or distracting topics.
Other surfing books in this same vein like Barbarian Days were more well written than Kook. Barbarian Days was a bit denser of a read, but was able to convey the emotions produced from surfing in a better light. Also, it had a more engaging and interesting storyline than Kook did.
Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are interested in surfing or have surfed before, but it certainly does not take priority over many other surfing stories. This book I would rate at three out of five stars because of the quality of writing. At many times, the writing was subpar at best, and what could have been a very insightful and enthralling story became something not very interesting; it sounded as if the author had been writing for a deadline. Otherwise, being able to relate to the book on a personal level, as a fellow surfer, this made the book endurable. I was able to personally relate to the emotions experienced by Heller, and can understand his point of view.
Book by William Finnegan. The book was clearly written as a story for others to read, recounting the author’s life as he grows and ages. When I have talked to others who have read this book, they have all been figures similar to Peter Heller. That is, middle aged men who are at least somewhat decent at surfing and are going through a midlife crisis.
Kook is about a maturing man’s chase of his newfound passion for surfing. He shares large snippets of his adventures, travelling from Southern California down to the coast of Mexico. Along the way, he meets many surfers, some of whom are more experienced, others in the same boat as him. Peter makes a goal to become a good surfer in one year. His girlfriend, who tags along the way, seems to be able to put up with his nonsense and sometimes jerkiness. Not only does Peter get better at surfing, but he finds an internal change.
Heller was able to make surfing sound very fun, but I may be biased reading the vivid descriptions of a peeling tube – I’ve experienced it myself. To those who haven’t, this may be less interesting. His writing surrounding his realizations around surfing were rather sappy, I thought. He related the growth he found to his new love for his girlfriend, and the ocean, as hte book drew to a close. The book was oftentimes more about his mid life crisis than anything else, and it became a chore to read at times, dragging on about uneventful or distracting topics.
Other surfing books in this same vein like Barbarian Days were more well written than Kook. Barbarian Days was a bit denser of a read, but was able to convey the emotions produced from surfing in a better light. Also, it had a more engaging and interesting storyline than Kook did.
Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are interested in surfing or have surfed before, but it certainly does not take priority over many other surfing stories. This book I would rate at three out of five stars because of the quality of writing. At many times, the writing was subpar at best, and what could have been a very insightful and enthralling story became something not very interesting; it sounded as if the author had been writing for a deadline. Otherwise, being able to relate to the book on a personal level, as a fellow surfer, this made the book endurable. I was able to personally relate to the emotions experienced by Heller, and can understand his point of view.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2018
As a new surfer and fellow Kook, I wanted to read and dive into the experiences that Peter Heller and his wife went through in learning to surf and travel Baja in a van. (This is also a plan that my boyfriend and I are currently in the works with developing). I enjoyed reading this and while he does write with a lot of surf jargon, there were times that is got to be fairly over-the-top. I am very familiar with the lingo, but I can imagine that for someone who doesn't know much about surfing it could become tiresome.
Heller is vivid in his descriptions of scenes, to set up the picture of what they were seeing and experiencing. So much that it feels a little overdone. The novel was good, but not great. I am not sure why it didn't wow me, he's not a bad writer, and holds quite an impressive resume, but I found it to try too hard in moments to sound "writer-y".
I would still recommend it, I enjoyed reading it, just not going in the pile of books I will cherish and hold on to. Below is the description that most resonated with me and described learning how to surf. This has been my experience and I could not describe it better.
"With a good instructor, one can learn to turn a pair of skis in the first hour. Or hit a tennis ball over a net. With surfing, if you have an instructor who gives you a great shove as the wave lifts you, it may take days before you can reliably pop up and ride standing straight into the beach. Weeks before you have the strength to catch your own waves on a regular basis. Months before you can do it with enough control to get ahead of the break and begin to ride across the blue face of a wave. And this is on easy , soft, slow, forgiving waves. Come every day, give surfing the best of yourself first thing every morning, and you might have a chance over several months of beginning to actually surf. Maybe."
#truth
Heller is vivid in his descriptions of scenes, to set up the picture of what they were seeing and experiencing. So much that it feels a little overdone. The novel was good, but not great. I am not sure why it didn't wow me, he's not a bad writer, and holds quite an impressive resume, but I found it to try too hard in moments to sound "writer-y".
I would still recommend it, I enjoyed reading it, just not going in the pile of books I will cherish and hold on to. Below is the description that most resonated with me and described learning how to surf. This has been my experience and I could not describe it better.
"With a good instructor, one can learn to turn a pair of skis in the first hour. Or hit a tennis ball over a net. With surfing, if you have an instructor who gives you a great shove as the wave lifts you, it may take days before you can reliably pop up and ride standing straight into the beach. Weeks before you have the strength to catch your own waves on a regular basis. Months before you can do it with enough control to get ahead of the break and begin to ride across the blue face of a wave. And this is on easy , soft, slow, forgiving waves. Come every day, give surfing the best of yourself first thing every morning, and you might have a chance over several months of beginning to actually surf. Maybe."
#truth
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