At the beginning of this slim history of skateboarding, the author makes it clear that his version will be "biased, prejudiced and discriminating." Weyland has been hooked on skateboarding for more than 20 years (he is 33 years old), making objectivity all but impossible. Instead, Weyland has written what amounts to a love letter to skateboarding and its culture. He cobbles old articles and reportage from skating magazines like Skateboarder
and Thrasher
into a breezy narrative of the sport—from its birth in 1960s California as a way for surfers to pass the time when the waves were flat to the hugely popular sport of today, regularly featured on ESPN. Along the way readers meet legends like the Dogtown Z-Boys (skating pioneers who were recently the subject of a documentary film), Steve Caballero and Tony Hawk. But the real strength of this book comes from the personal experiences he skillfully drops in the mix. He does a great job explaining how, growing up as an alienated kid, skating offered him an alternative to "institutionalized jock mentality and its attendant boorishness." Through his vivid remembrances, he offers a glimpse into the rebellious skating culture in the 1980s when it was still far underground. And while Weyland lapses a bit into sentimentality over today's commercialization of the sport, he always returns to its true spirit. As he writes, "It's slamming onto cement and getting purple hip contusions that stick to your pants for weeks, riding on rain-soaked sidewalks and arguing with old ladies and running from cops." This is a rallying cry to true skate punks everywhere. (Sept.)
Forecast:Excerpts from the book will appear in skateboarding magazine
Thrasher (circulation of 500,000), which should drive sales.
