Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End
Book Summary Information
Editor: Justin HockingEditor: Jeffrey Knutson
Editor: Jared Jacang Maher
Foreword: Jocko Weyland
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-05-21
ISBN: 193236028X
Number of pages: 220
Publisher: Soft Skull Press
Book Reviews of Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End
Book Review: look deeper for the value
Summary: 4 Stars
some of the amazon reviewers are overly hung up on a very static evaluation of this text: 'is the writing good?' instead the highest value of this book is recognizing that it was created entirely by those within the skateboarding world and at times doesn't even address skateboarding itself - no need to always talk about it, they ARE the culture, they live it.
this is almost a sociological study of skaters at different times in their lives, from young to 'mature,' making sense of this subculture that has defined their lives. some of the tales are simple/straightforward, others are more experimental or fantastic. yet others seem to have no tie to skateboarding other than being in the anthology - but their placement within it makes connections inevitable.
it's a fascinating text as a study, and some of the writing is quite good - or at the least thought-provoking. peter pan-ish themes weave throughout, which says a lot, doesn't it? it's not amateurish, it's D.I.Y., which as all skaters know is also very much part of the culture. the fact that non-writers were welcome to contribute should be applauded. rules are broken, gems revealed. bravo to life and limb.
Summary of Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End
Although the stories and essays in Life and Limb are diverse in subject and voice - and some explore tangential activities from tree eating to the historical and cultural significance of boulders - they all express certain approaches common to skateboarders everywhere. These include an iconoclastic sense of creativity fostered by a lifetime spent outside the restrictions of team sports; a collaborative artistic spirit and a disdain for overt competitiveness; a sense of humor; an appetite for risk that often borders on self-destructiveness; a youthful distrust of authority; and a reluctance to join the "adult" world of commerce and responsibility. While all the contributing writers have been heavily influenced by skateboarding, the stories in Life and Limb don't glorify or idealize the sport. Many of the pieces reveal a darker side - the curse that accompanies the blessing of a lifetime spent rolling very fast over very hard surfaces.General Books
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