Download or read book The Most Fun Thing written by Kyle Beachy and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2021-08-10 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR • Southwest Review • Electric Literature Perfect for fans of Barbarian Days, this memoir in essays follows one man's decade-long quest to uncover the hidden meaning of skateboarding, and explores how this search led unexpectedly to insights on marriage, love, loss, American invention, and growing old. In January 2012, creative writing professor and novelist Kyle Beachy published one of his first essays on skate culture, an exploration of how Nike’s corporate strategy successfully gutted the once-mighty independent skate shoe market. Beachy has since established himself as skate culture's freshest, most illuminating, at times most controversial voice, writing candidly about the increasingly popular and fast-changing pastime he first picked up as a young boy and has continued to practice well into adulthood. What is skateboarding? What does it mean to continue skateboarding after the age of forty, four decades after the kickflip was invented? How does one live authentically as an adult while staying true to a passion cemented in childhood? How does skateboarding shape one's understanding of contemporary American life? Of growing old and getting married? Contemplating these questions and more, Beachy offers a deep exploration of a pastime—often overlooked, regularly maligned—whose seeming simplicity conceals universal truths. THE MOST FUN THING is both a rich account of a hobby and a collection of the lessons skateboarding has taught Beachy—and what it continues to teach him as he strugglesto find space for it as an adult, a professor, and a husband.
Download or read book Skate for Your Life written by Leo Baker and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-06-01 with total page 65 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pocket Change Collective was born out of a need for space. Space to think. Space to connect. Space to be yourself. And this is your invitation to join us. "Wow! Leo's vulnerability and authenticity allowed me to experience his pain and triumph. A great testament to the positive power of skateboarding and the dangers of gender." --Elissa Steamer (skateboarding pioneer) "In Skate for Your Life, Leo Baker invites us on the intimate journey toward self-realization. Leo's deep passion for skateboarding is beautifully communicated while bringing to light the difficult reality of breaking the mold on a public stage. This book synthesizes what so many LGBTQIA people can relate to--the lifelong journey of seeking out spaces where we fit in, and when we don't find them, making new ones." --JD Samson (musician, producer, and songwriter) In this moving, personal story, professional skateboarder Leo Baker shares their journey within the sport and the importance of authenticity and allyship as a non-binary athlete. Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists. "Your authenticity is your superpower." That's the motto that professional skateboarder Leo Baker lives by and champions. But like any hero's journey, learning about their power didn't come easy. In this installment of the Pocket Change Collective, Baker takes the reader on a complicated, powerful journey through the world of skate and competitive sport as a non-binary athlete.
Download or read book Andy Howell written by Andy Howell and published by Gingko Press Editions. This book was released on 2005 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Accompanying DVDs (directed by Ted Newsome; produced by 2HeadedHorse) contain interviews, biomentary, and skate videos.
Download or read book The Skateboarder s Journal Lives on Board written by and published by Jack Smith. This book was released on 2009 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A piece of wood, two trucks, four wheels ... a skateboard. You start by rolling down a sidewalk, and end up rolling through life. For some the ride stops at the end of the street; for others the ride never ends. This book was written by those for whom the ride is never-ending: by the 15-year-old grom who falls asleep dreaming of skateboarding; by the 40-something "pad dad" you see at the local skatepark; by the women whose stories have never been told; and by the 73-year-old architect who didn't begin skateboarding until the age of 65. Over 170 stories and 200+ photographs. The 'everyman/everywoman' are accompanied by contributions from some 'notable' skateboarders, and other personalities from the skateboard world ... Some of the great skateboarding photographers have graciously contributed to the book."--Description from www.amazon.com
Download or read book Skate Life written by Emily Chivers Yochim and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2009-12-02 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Intellectually deft and lively to read, Skate Life is an important addition to the literature on youth cultures, contemporary masculinity, and the role of media in identity formation." ---Janice A. Radway, Northwestern University, author of Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature "With her elegant research design and sophisticated array of anthropological and media studies approaches, Emily Chivers Yochim has produced one of the best books about race, gender, and class that I have read in the last ten years. In a moment where celebratory studies of youth, youth subcultures, and their relationship to media abound, this book stands as a brilliantly argued analysis of the limitations of youth subcultures and their ambiguous relationship to mainstream commercial culture." ---Ellen Seiter, University of Southern California "Yochim has made a valuable contribution to media and cultural studies as well as youth and American studies by conducting this research and by coining the phrase 'corresponding cultures,' which conceptualizes the complex and dynamic processes skateboarders employ to negotiate their identities as part of both mainstream and counter-cultures." ---JoEllen Fisherkeller, New York University Skate Life examines how young male skateboarders use skate culture media in the production of their identities. Emily Chivers Yochim offers a comprehensive ethnographic analysis of an Ann Arbor, Michigan, skateboarding community, situating it within a larger historical examination of skateboarding's portrayal in mainstream media and a critique of mainstream, niche, and locally produced media texts (such as, for example, Jackass, Viva La Bam, and Dogtown and Z-Boys). The book uses these elements to argue that adolescent boys can both critique dominant norms of masculinity and maintain the power that white heterosexual masculinity offers. Additionally, Yochim uses these analyses to introduce the notion of "corresponding cultures," conceptualizing the ways in which media audiences both argue with and incorporate mediated images into their own ideas about identity. In a strong combination of anthropological and media studies approaches, Skate Life asks important questions of the literature on youth and provides new ways of assessing how young people create their identities. Emily Chivers Yochim is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Allegheny College. Cover design by Brian V. Smith
Download or read book Hosoi written by Christian Hosoi and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2012-06-12 with total page 503 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A mix of Tony Hawk and Brian Welch comes together in skateboarding legend Christian Hosoi, who reveals everything about his rise, fall, and redemption, in this amazing tell-all—from being named the greatest skater of all time to bottoming out on drugs to finally finding redemption through God. Fans of Slater Kelly’s Pipe Dreams and Brian Welch’s Save Me From Myself, and followers of Tony Alva, Jay Adams, and Steve Caballero, will be captivated by this extraordinary, star-studded story, a gripping read that ranges from the heart of the 1980s skateboarding scene to the inside of a prison, from Hollywood parties to intense prayer sessions. Hosoi: My Life as a Skateboarder Junkie Inmate Pastor takes readers to the heart of one little-known world after another—and he portrays them in all their gore and glory for all the world to see.
Download or read book A Skating Life written by Dorothy Hamill and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2007-10-02 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dazzling smile, the signature haircut, the staple spin. "America's Sweetheart" Dorothy Hamill grew up on the ice, working toward the dream she was to accomplish by age nineteen: winning Olympic gold in figure skating. But life was not the picture of perfection it appeared to be. Dorothy faced a painful inner struggle from the time she was a young girl that followed her into adulthood--though she would not know about the depression that ran in her family until much later in life. Weeks and months away from home to train and compete took a difficult toll, yet little reprieve could be found in the tumultuous and fragile relationship she had with her parents. Dorothy went on to marry the man of her dreams, only to have the partnership end in heartache and a tragedy that almost pushed her to her breaking point. Then, just when a light at the end of the tunnel finally began to appear, a second failed marriage tried and tested Dorothy's trust and strength yet again--a travesty that could have led her to give up. But, she found a remarkable strength in what she did have--her greatest love, her daughter Alexandra. "Thank goodness, I had my skating. There was certainly a pattern to my life. When times were tough, I went skating. It was only while I was out on the ice, enjoying the freedom of movement and my love of music, that I was able to escape from my bottomless heartache." In her deeply moving and honest memoir, Dorothy opens up for the first time about love, family, courage, and what it means to truly win both on and off the ice.
Download or read book Skate Life written by Emily Chivers Yochim and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2010-05-25 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Intellectually deft and lively to read, Skate Life is an important addition to the literature on youth cultures, contemporary masculinity, and the role of media in identity formation." ---Janice A. Radway, Northwestern University, author of Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature "With her elegant research design and sophisticated array of anthropological and media studies approaches, Emily Chivers Yochim has produced one of the best books about race, gender, and class that I have read in the last ten years. In a moment where celebratory studies of youth, youth subcultures, and their relationship to media abound, this book stands as a brilliantly argued analysis of the limitations of youth subcultures and their ambiguous relationship to mainstream commercial culture." ---Ellen Seiter, University of Southern California "Yochim has made a valuable contribution to media and cultural studies as well as youth and American studies by conducting this research and by coining the phrase 'corresponding cultures,' which conceptualizes the complex and dynamic processes skateboarders employ to negotiate their identities as part of both mainstream and counter-cultures." ---JoEllen Fisherkeller, New York University Skate Life examines how young male skateboarders use skate culture media in the production of their identities. Emily Chivers Yochim offers a comprehensive ethnographic analysis of an Ann Arbor, Michigan, skateboarding community, situating it within a larger historical examination of skateboarding's portrayal in mainstream media and a critique of mainstream, niche, and locally produced media texts (such as, for example, Jackass, Viva La Bam, and Dogtown and Z-Boys). The book uses these elements to argue that adolescent boys can both critique dominant norms of masculinity and maintain the power that white heterosexual masculinity offers. Additionally, Yochim uses these analyses to introduce the notion of "corresponding cultures," conceptualizing the ways in which media audiences both argue with and incorporate mediated images into their own ideas about identity. In a strong combination of anthropological and media studies approaches, Skate Life asks important questions of the literature on youth and provides new ways of assessing how young people create their identities. Emily Chivers Yochim is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Allegheny College. Cover design by Brian V. Smith
Download or read book Dropping in with Andy Mac written by Andy Macdonald and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-06-30 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a baby he flipped himself upside down in his jolly jumper. As a kid he rode his Big Wheel into traffic. When he discovered skateboarding, his life was changed forever. So how did Andy Macdonald go from death-defying stunts in his jolly jumper to world champion skateboarder? In his own words, Andy shares all the ups and downs and the spills and thrills, from driving to California in a broken-down car and dressing up as Shamu at Sea World to setting world records and giving a speech at the White House. He's traveled the world over with his skateboard under his arm. Andy's made the road to sweet, sweet success look easy. But this behind-the-scenes look takes you onto the platform of the vert ramp -- to the competitions, the long hours of practice, and more. It reveals a bumpy road to the top that, as Andy will tell you, could be reached only with the guts that skateboarding gave him.
Download or read book Wild Swims written by Dorthe Nors and published by Graywolf Press. This book was released on 2021-02-02 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A dazzling return to the short story by a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize In fourteen effervescent stories, Dorthe Nors plumbs the depths of the human heart, from desire to melancholy and everything in between. Just as she did in her English-language debut, Karate Chop, Nors slices straight to the core of the conflict in only a few pages. But Wild Swims expands the borders of her gaze, following people as they travel through Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and elsewhere. Here are portraits of men and women full of restless longing, people who are often seeking a home but rarely finding it. A lie told during a fraught ferry ride on the North Sea becomes a wound that festers between school friends. A writer at a remote cabin befriends the mother of an ex-lover. Two friends knock doors to solicit fraudulent donations for the cancer society. A woman taken with the idea of wild swims ventures as far as the local swimming pool. These stories have already been featured in the pages of New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Tin House, and A Public Space. They sound the darker tones of human nature and yet find the brighter chords of hope and humor as well. Cutting and offbeat without ever losing its warmth, Wild Swims is a master class in concision and restraint, and a path to living life without either. With Wild Swims Nors’s star will continue to be ascendant.
Download or read book Wayward Cognitions written by Stijn Huijts and published by Um Yeah Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Wayward Cognitions is a collection of photographs by Ed Templeton (born 1972), chosen from his archives spanning 20 years. For this volume, Templeton selected photographs that do not fit into his usual manner of organizing by theme or subject ... Wayward Cognitions represents the in-between moments that arise when shooting in the streets without theme or subject. "It's about looking, people watching, finding pleasure in the visual vignettes we glimpse each day," says Templeton. When those moments are removed from the context in which they were shot, dynamic stories can be told or imagined in book form. The photographs in Wayward Cognitions were printed by Templeton in his darkroom; he then created the layout and design himself, building the book from scratch in his home studio."--Publisher's website.
Download or read book A Secret History of the Ollie written by Craig B. Snyder and published by Pioneers of Skateboarding. This book was released on 2015-02-28 with total page 912 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every culture has a creation myth, and skateboarding is no different. The Ollie forged a new identity for skateboarding after its invention in the 1970s, and it lies at the root of nearly every significant move in street skating today. This groundbreaking no-handed aerial has also affected the evolution of surfing and snowboarding, and has left a permanent impression upon popular culture and language. This, then, is the story of the Ollie, the history and technology that set the stage for its creation, the pioneers who made it happen, and the skaters who used it to start a revolution.
Download or read book The Tao of Skateboarding a Skateboarder s Philosophy to Life written by Joseph David Clark and published by . This book was released on 2014-03-30 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When skateboarders skate they experience a euphoric rush. They have a clear mind and the ability to see with the heart. The many principals that apply to skateboarding fit into a framework for how we approach, process, problem solve, persist, and overcome the challenges and hardships of living. This book offers you the opportunity to experience the great wisdom which is equally poignant in life as it is in the street or the skate park.
Download or read book The A to Z of Skateboarding written by Tony Hawks and published by Unbound Publishing. This book was released on 2019-06-13 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than twenty years, Tony Hawks has been mistaken for Tony Hawk, the American skateboarder. Even though it is abundantly clear on his website that he is an English comedian and author, people still write to him asking the best way to do a kickflip or land a melon. One mischievous day he started writing back in a pompous tone, goading his correspondents for their spelling mistakes and poor grammar, while offering bogus or downright silly advice on how to improve their skateboarding. Featuring entries on parents' pain, disappointment, underachievers, Quorn and the Vatican, this is his A to Z guide to the world of skateboarding, as seen through the eyes of someone who knows absolutely nothing about it.
Download or read book That s a Crazy One written by Mel Stones and published by . This book was released on 2017-05-21 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: That's A Crazy One is an inside look at the youth culture that dominated downtown NYC in the early 1990's. That same culture that helped spark the multi-million dollar industries of skateboarding and streetwear that exist now. The subjects were the inspiration for Larry Clark's cult classic film KIDS. In stark contrast to the storyline told in the film,it is the true capture of what life was like for the cast of KIDS prior to the film being made and released. Photographed by Mel Stones & High throughout 1991-1995, the two teenage girls used NYC public school darkrooms to develop and print these images. Shot by insiders, That's A Crazy One is a rare archival portrait of early NYC street skating and the intimate relationships that existed between this crew of kids. Shot in low light on 35mm film pushed to the max, the images are grainy and gritty and bring you back to Pre-Giuliani New York rawness. That's a Crazy One features images that run a wide gamut, from kids sleeping on the train, skateboarding through the streets, smoking weed and drinking 40's, to the abandoned buildings and roof that were their playgrounds. However it is the dedication of the book that sets the tone for the images that follow. Once read, you realize that many of the kids on these pages are no longer among the living. Often mistaken as a documentary film, KIDS left an aftershock amongst this group of teenagers long after the limelight faded, with no solid foundation many met tragic ends. These lives so superficially portrayed on screen were genuinely struggling and that struggle materialized in the deaths of many of them. The images evoke the painful truth of how one can feel alone and together at the same time.Too painful to face their losses, these images have remained archived for over 20 years. That's A Crazy One takes you through their cathartic journey. All profits from book sales will be donated to NYC Public Schools Photography Program in memorial to their departed.
Download or read book The Skateboard written by Ben Marcus and published by Mvp Books. This book was released on 2011-06-06 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the simple skateboard is part thriller, part underground, underdog success tale. Its chock-full of innovations, far-out graphic artistry, and ever-more-incredible hot-dogging feats. And the storys told in this book with contributions from the stars themselvesTony Hawk, Stacey Peralta, Jeff Ho, the Dogtown Z-Boys, and more. Beautifully illustrated with historical posters, ads, and memorabilia along with new action photography, studio skateboard shots, and unique portraits of the stars, this is a fitting tribute to an American classic.
Download or read book Skateboarding and Religion written by Paul O'Connor and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-10-02 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the ways in which religion is observed, performed, and organised in skateboard culture. Drawing on scholarship from the sociology of religion and the cultural politics of lifestyle sports, this work combines ethnographic research with media analysis to argue that the rituals of skateboarding provide participants with a rich cultural canvas for emotional and spiritual engagement. Paul O’Connor contends that religious identification in skateboarding is set to increase as participants pursue ways to both control and engage meaningfully with an activity that has become an increasingly mainstream and institutionalised sport. Religion is explored through the themes of myth, celebrity, iconography, pilgrimage, evangelism, cults, and self-help.
