Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave
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Description
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. Read more
Publisher : Free Press
Publication date : July 13, 2010
Edition : 37565th
Language : English
Print length : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 0743294203
ISBN-13 : 01
Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.44 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #218,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #43 in Surfing #284 in Nature Writing & Essays #5,983 in Memoirs (Books)
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Paperback
This book is an ocean of adventure, laughter, and thought. It is for people who love to laugh, big hearty addictive laughs. The kind of involuntary laughter you get when being tickled, you know what I mean...at least I hope you do. Tucked between the front and back covers of this book lives a celebration of life and a bit of self-help for your soul (and if relative, relationship). If you are old enough to read and learning to surf this book is absolutely essential to your growth. I'm not saying you are going to land that wave and ride it to shore or not purl. Rather it may help your psyche. It may let you know there is as much machismo out there as fear, that surfing just standing up on the board and riding a wave any wave is going to take time and lessons and the right board. It is not going to be easy, but it is going to be magical. When you surf you become part of a community and Peter Heller not only gives you directions to where this community lives, he invites you in. He challenges you to have a good time with life and pay attention. He and his girlfriend Kim are people you want not only to camp and surf with after reading this book (or maybe just 20 pages in), but people you want to get to know as neighbors or pen pals. Peter Heller is not perfect and he readily admits that, but who is and frankly who is going to fault someone who says you know what I'm not, but I'm so excited about so many things (surfing, the environment, travel, food, and his girlfriend) and I'm honest. Just do yourself a favor this winter and read the book. For $15 it is well worth it. I just loved it.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2011 by sharonk
Format: Paperback
A 48 year old journalist gets hooked on surfing and drops out of his normal life for 6 months to see how good he can become. That's the simple story but not the nuanced more complicated story. With him comes his current girlfriend, a real beauty he clearly loves but cannot decide the right course of action to move to the next step. Well, a 6 month trip living in the hardships of a VW van might test the relationship. Making her learn to surf also when it clearly isn't her dream can certainly test a budding relationship. So this book takes you through the nuances of surfing and relationships and shows how they are intertwined. For experienced surfers I'm not sure this book does anything for them other than mention quite a few great surfing spots in Mexico they may or may not know about. But for beginning surfers or those wanting to hear of spots other than Southern California, you can ignore the relationship parts and really dive in to this learning experience, the ups and downs, the break-through moments where you are suddenly on a wave at speeds never before achieved. I think the highlight of this book is the technical points mentioned that allow him to reach new levels. Little things like when to drop your chin in launching for a wave. Also, he was lucky to get sponsored and take down various sized boards creating a whole new level of advancement but also an entirely new set of problems on speed and paddling out as well as making the wave. This book was a welcome break for me that I enjoyed quite a bit and I recommend it for those interested in surfing or learning of the West Coast of Mexico.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2011 by Rick Spell
Format: Paperback
Hello. Cute book full of sweet stories,surfing facts,sagisms. The author writes well, Compelling,Suspenseful until the end. I underlined & wrote notes in the book. Inspirational & Educational & Comforting, Even Humorous. I appreciate the author for writing this book- His narratives brought me joy !
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2025 by Ana Calzadilla
Format: Kindle
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.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2021 by Lynne M. Spreen
Format: Paperback
Bought this as a gift for a friend who surfs, but usually doesn’t read. He loved it! He took it on his last surfing trip and said it was the perfect read while he was relaxing after a good day of surfing.
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2025 by Jen Jela
Format: Kindle
I enjoyed Heller's Dog Stars and really liked his writing style and the humanity that he conveyed in that story. Kook popped up on my suggestions list, and I decided to give it a try being a fellow kook myself. I enjoyed the beginning parts particularly, because he starts out learning to surf in Huntington, Bolsa, and Seal, which is where I surf most days. It was fun to read his descriptions of the various characters that you run into (if they are nice enough to talk to you). Heller also captures in writing the ephemeral joy that happens in just brief moments when you surf. You can really hear his addiction and attraction to it. There are times in the book where he gets sidetracked and preachy about the environment, but I do agree with him that surfers are also stewards of the ocean and must take an active stance on protecting it. His personal growth and development with his marriage was also insightful and a great part of the book. All in all it was a good read. If you are interested in surf and surf stories, I would highly recommend Finnegan's Barbarian Days as well.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2018 by Ferdinand Arcinue
Format: Kindle
An amazing journey from an extremely talented writer. As a once upon a time surfer from the 60s, I still remember the thrill of surfing and being near the ocean that the writer brought back so well. Loved every minute of reading his story!
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2023 by Suzanne Kalafat
Format: Paperback
Peter Heller has written a fabulous book about life, love, and learning to surf. He takes the reader from floating around on a boogie board in Seal Beach, Cal to the trecherous roads and ordeals of Baja, Mexico. It brought me back to my youth when I learned to surf; wiping out, looking like a kook, learning to watch waves, dawn patrol, etc. Peter mentions many surf spots I have surfed in my life, and at 61 it was fun to relive those memories, feel the sun in my heart, and peace in life itself. I recommend this book to surfers and non surfers alike. It is a wonderful, warm heart, smiling book!
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Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2010 by phil