Stella Sacchini Knihy

Surfing transcends mere sport; for enthusiasts, it embodies a beautiful addiction, a demanding pursuit, and a way of life. Finnegan, raised in California and Hawaii, began surfing as a child and has since chased waves worldwide, from the South Pacific to Africa. His journey unfolds through the lens of a writer and war reporter, revealing the edgy camaraderie of male friendships forged in challenging surf. He recounts experiences in a whites-only gang at a tough Honolulu school, alongside his close friendship with a native Hawaiian surfer. The narrative captures the upheaval of the 1960s, detailing the intricacies of famous waves and his own learning experiences. Youthful folly is humorously depicted, including a memorable LSD trip while surfing Honolua Bay. Alongside a friend, they navigate Polynesia with reef charts in tow, discovering one of the world's greatest waves on an uninhabited Fijian island. As his travels expand, Finnegan becomes an unlikely anthropologist, exploring the complexities of a Samoan fishing village, the sexual dynamics of Tongan interactions with foreigners, and the Indonesian black market, all while battling malaria. His adventures are punctuated by the thrill of surfing, highlighting the sport's profound impact on his life.

Perhaps the best-loved nineteenth-century American novel, Mark Twain ’s tale of boyhood adventure overflows with comedy, warmth, and slapstick energy. It brings to life and array of irresistible characters—the awesomely self-confident Tom, his best buddy Huck Finn, indulgent Aunt Polly, and the lovely, beguiling Becky—as well as such unforgettable incidents as whitewashing a fence, swearing an oath in blood, and getting lost in a dark and labyrinthine cave. Below Tom Sawyer’s sunny surface lurk hints of a darker reality, of youthful innocence and naïveté confronting the cruelty, hypocrisy, and foolishness of the adult world—a theme that would become more pronounced in Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . Despite such suggestions, Tom Sawyer remains Twain’s joyful ode to the endless possibilities of childhood. H. Daniel Peck is John Guy Vassar Professor of English at Vassar College and is the author of Thoreau’s Morning Work and A World by Itself: The Pastoral Moment in Cooper’s Fiction .