On a Wave: A Surfer Boyhood [Hardcover]

Thad Ziolkowski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

A disenchanted, unemployed English professor decides on a whim one day -- partly playful, partly desperate -- to sneak off from his temp job in Manhattan and catch a wave off a dingy Queens shoreline. How did he become this semidepressed, chain-smoking, aimless man, when for a few shining years of his childhood he was invincible? The boy is Thad Ziolkowski, who grows up amid the late '60s counterculture in coastal Florida. After his parents' divorce, nine-year-old Thad escapes from his difficult family -- notably, a new brooding and explosive stepfather -- by heading for the thrilling, uncharted waters of the local beach. There, buoyed by the primal force and tribal inclusion of surfing, he pours his adolescent energy into mastering the almost mystical intricacies of the waves. In the bosom of the surf, the boy is able to stay offshore for years, until his life is upended once again, this time by a double tragedy, depositing him at a crossroads between a life in the waves and coming back to land. Thad Ziolkowski's language is gorgeous. Poetic, poignant, and disarmingly funny, his depiction of the sea is particularly breathtaking. Indeed, the ocean -- magical playmate and harsh teacher at once -- emerges as a character of its own. On a Wave is an exciting, unpretentious, glorious portrait of youth that should take its place in the tradition of such books as Tobias Wolff's This Boy's Life and Frank Conroy's Stop-Time. "I'm not a surfer, but I love this book. It's beautifully written, each sentence a poetic marvel." -- Wayne Koestenbaum

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Generally speaking, surfers don't write. They spend their formative years riding waves, smoking joints and chasing girls. Ziolkowski did all that, but somehow managed to avoid the Jeff Spicoli syndrome, becoming instead a poet (and director of Pratt Institute's writing program) whose talent and mastery of the language have allowed him to write this enjoyable memoir, equal parts surfer tale and bildungsroman. After his parents' divorce, Ziolkowski recalls, he moved with his mother and stepfather to Florida's Atlantic coast. He discovered the joys of surfing: the clothes, the camaraderie, the drugs (he first smoked pot at age 10 and was already "over" it by 15). Ziolkowski surfed almost daily, before school, after school and at night. Once he surfed so much that the glare from the water caused him to go temporarily blind; another time he hit the beach in the middle of a hurricane all in pursuit of the perfect wave. Although there's a lot of surf talk here, it's really a book about family: the wicked stepfather, the feral brother, the compassionate mother and the tragedies that ultimately tear them apart. Underneath the surfer veneer is a story about the disintegration of the author's family and growing up in a time (the mid '70s) when all the old rules no longer seemed to apply. Ziolkowski writes that he aspired to go pro but never quite made it a few trophies for local competitions was the closest he got, and a move to Kansas during high school prompted him to give up his quest for good. Better for readers that he did, for now they have this touching, poetic book.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This engaging memoir of Ziolkowski's coming of age under the sun and in the sea ultimately defines a surfer's childhood struggle between the harsh reality of land and the idyllic serenity of the water. Eventually, the two combined to thrust Ziolkowski, at age eight, to the shoreline of Florida, where he became a surfer in the 1960s. The author's prose reflects the relaxed, bohemian way of life, perfectly capturing the surfer culture of the era. Ziolkowski's own life mirrors a storm swell: his parents' divorce, his move from home, his stepfather's uneven hand, and the ultimate understanding of an underlying sadness that surrounded his childhood make for a perfect ride on a rough wave. The sea becomes a particular sort of aquatic nirvana for Ziolkowski, who finds that surfing not only holds athletic and sexual appeal in the culture but emotional cleansing properties for him as well. This memoir makes one ache for the sea's ebb and flow, while his stirring account of an unconventional, oceanborne life reconfirms, for those who are landlocked, fantasies about the power and beauty of open water. This belongs with other true accounts of surfing life and culture, such as Daniel Duane's Caught Inside and Matt Warshaw's Maverick's. For all large sports collections. Rachel Collins, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press; First Edition, 1st Printing edition (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087113845X
• ISBN-13: 978-0871138453
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,998,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story. Well-written, funny, poignant, January 5, 2003

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P. Miele (Bedford, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On a Wave: A Surfer Boyhood (Hardcover)

I am so sorry this book is over. It was a pleasure to read. Thad Ziolkowski is such a wonderful writer. His story is witty, eloquent, and moving. I have never had much interest in surfing, but that didn't change my enjoyment of the story. I particularly relished the parent-child dialogues and the amusing, self-deprecating recollections of childhood cognitions.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Picture Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie!!, April 26, 2002

By 

frankie busch (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On a Wave: A Surfer Boyhood (Hardcover)

On a Wave is a wonderful memoir that has less to do with surfing than 70's American life as seen through the eyes of a sensitive(and poetic) young boy. Remember Tang, Pam, Pop-Tarts and the music of "Won't You Marry Me, Bill?" The book's honesty and candor and almost total lack of self-pity make On a Wave a touching and memorable story. If you take it to the beach, be sure to bring a couple of tissues.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the spanish house.., June 18, 2002

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brian marsland (melbourne beach, fl United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On a Wave: A Surfer Boyhood (Hardcover)

I loved this book. It has a special closeness for me because I live in South Melbourne Beach- not far from Surf Road and Sebastian Inlet, where much of the book takes place. It was touching to read Thad's experiences here, as mine have been much the same- learning to ride alone on the deserted beach, the wildness and strangeness of a very special place.. he captured it perfectly, and I'm glad to report that it still has the same magic. A great book that will bring a tear to your eye more than once.