Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing [Paperback]

Stuart Holmes Coleman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2004

In the 1970s, a decade before bumper stickers and T-shirts bearing the phrase Eddie Would Go began popping up all over the Hawaiian islands and throughout the surfing world, Eddie Aikau was proving what it meant to be a "waterman." As a fearless and gifted surfer, he rode the biggest waves in the world; as the first and most famous Waimea Bay lifeguard on the North Shore, he saved hundreds of lives from its treacherous waters; and as a proud Hawaiian, he sacrificed his life to save the crew aboard the voyaging canoe Hokule'a.

Eddie Would Go is the compelling story of Eddie Aikau's legendary life and legacy, a pipeline into the exhilarating world of surfing, and an important chronicle of the Hawaiian Renaissance and the emergence of modern Hawaii.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Eddie Aikau was the most famous and respected Hawaiian surfer since the legendary Duke Kahanamoku brought surfing to national attention in the 1920s. Coleman's thoughtful and detailed biography is the best look at Aikau's story since the surfer died in 1978 paddling for help after the historic Canoe Hokulea (a twin-hulled boat modeled after the ancient Polynesian vessels that brought the first settlers to the islands of Hawaii) was capsized in a huge storm. Coleman brings his skills as an essayist and poet to weave the many strands of Aikau's life into a coherent picture of how Aikau's story "was also the story of modern Hawai'i." Coleman nicely describes how Aikau-born in 1946 into a "spiritually divided" postwar Hawaiian culture torn between "Hawai'ian roots and American dreams"-helped define a new image of Hawaii in the 1950s and '60s, as part of the first modern surfing expeditions to the Oahu's North Shore and its huge waves at the now-classic Pipeline and Waimea Bay beaches. ("Eddie would go" is now the standard surfing phrase used to determine if a surfer should attempt to ride a particularly daunting wave.) Coleman shows how Aikau's life between 1967 and 1977 was "a strange mix of calm and chaos," with Aikau working as a Waimea Bay lifeguard between local and international surf competitions, culminating in his winning the prestigious Duke Kahanamoku Classic in 1977. But Coleman also smartly observes how Aikau's desire to join the crew of the voyaging Hokulea-which was attempting to show that ancient Polynesian sailors had purposely sailed to the islands-was itself an example of the resurgent interest by Hawaiians to explore and reclaim their cultural identity and further added to Aikau's ongoing status as a Hawaiian hero.
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Review

"A homespun homage to a modern-day folk hero...you'll see why St. Martin's decided to take Eddie nationwide--and why it's attracting loving glances from Hollywood."
--Brad Wieners, Outside Magazine

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (February 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312327188
• ISBN-13: 978-0312327187
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #216,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving Hawaiian Family Story, February 6, 2011

By 

G. Dannunzio "CHIRONJ" (new brunswick, nj) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing (Paperback)

This book is excellent! Well written and gripping. The hero of this book is Eddie's father who is true to the Aloha Spirit. Of course the book is about Eddie Aikau but the back story is Hawaiian waterman and the love Hawaiians have for the water, family and friends.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read!, February 3, 2011

By 

Sickpup94 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing (Paperback)

Very well written from a very good author. He does a great job painting a true-to-life portrait of Eddie Aikau's legendary life and untimely death. He incorporates the perspectives and memories of those that knew Eddie best. His fellow surfers, friends & family. Excellent book that I highly recommend.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surfers Must Read, April 4, 2005

By 

Tutu Noni (Santa Monica Shore) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing (Paperback)

This is the great book for surfers for what surfers were and what surfing are now and then.All the surfers must read once at least.Eddie is the truely a master of the surfing and you will feel his soul on the North Shore.
I also recommend this book for non-surfer because of the writer is quating a lot of Hawaiian history and cultures.If you want to know real Aloha spirit,Hawaiian culture and peple,this is the great guide book.