Review

WL Rating

There’s no doubt that Laird Hamilton is in many ways the waterman demi-god. His innovations in big wave surfing, tow-in surfing, stand-up paddle surfing and even that crazy hydrofoil thingie have changed the face of modern day ocean play. Put simply, this guy has done more in the past decade to advance the art of surfing than anyone else over the past 30 years. Even so, this book was a letdown for me. First off, let’s blame the editors. The content is a hodgepodge of chapters that feel like they were slapped together from five different books. As a result, none of the chapters delve too deeply into their subjects of food, exercise, family, etc.  Second, his editors seem to love pictures of Laird. It is not lost on me that this guy is in way better shape than I’ll ever be, but the deluge of pec and tricep flexing images is overwhelming and borderline creepy. Finally, it’s important to note that the book is not autobiographical in any significant way, which is too bad because Laird must have one hell of a story to tell. Rather, it’s more of a lifestyle manifesto outlining Laird’s view on how to live. While there are definitely some sections that are interesting, all in all this is not a book you need to own. Frankly, I eagerly await a true autobiography on the man.  On the positive side, the book does let me invoke Laird’s seal of approval every time I pop a shot of espresso. That definitely counts for something.  (May 2009)

Force of Nature - Laird Hamilton

Details

Category: Non-Fiction

Reading Style: Easy

Pages: 256

Pub Date: 2008

Tags: Surfing, Bio