
West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origins of Belief
Paperback
Religious BiographiesAthletesGeneral Water Sports
Publisher Price: $18.00
ISBN13: 9781596913448
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: Jun 1 2007
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.54
Height: 0.71 Width: 6.60 Depth: 8.24
Language: English
After spending two years in bed with Lyme disease, Steven Kotler had lost everything: his health, his job, his girl, and, he was beginning to suspect, his mind. Kotler, not a religious man, suddenly found himself drawn to the sport of surfing as if it were the cornerstone of a new faith. Why, he wondered, when there was nothing left to believe in, could he begin to believe in something as unlikely as surfing? What was belief anyway? How did it work in the body, the brain, our culture, and human history? With the help of everyone from rebel surfers to rocket scientists, Kotler undertakes a three-year globetrotting quest. The results are a startling mix of big waves and bigger ideas: a surfer's journey into the biological underpinnings of belief itself.
Praise for West of Jesus:
West of Jesus is one of the smartest books ever about the sport and religion of surfing.-Los Angeles Magazine
The ideal book for any readers who have ever asked themselves, 'How did surfing take over my life?' Kotler brings us closer to the answers via a wild, globe-trotting journey in search of surfing's much-referenced but rarely discussed spiritual side.-Los Angeles Times
A surprisingly entertaining nonfiction account of his own spiritual quest through surfing... Kotler is often laugh-out-loud funny.-San Francisco Chronicle
Kotler's tale starts slow and then, like a seasoned surfer calibrating his board to his ride, monumentally catches stride...Call it mysterioso or the oceanic feeling, what Kotler's seeking is nothing less than the big explanation.-Village Voice
Also in
Religious Biographies
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult!)
Lenz, Bethany Joy
Hardcover
412 Days: PERSECUTED FOR CHRIST It's coming. Are you ready? - A Journey of Hope, Freedom, and Revival
Søndergaard, Torben
Paperback
The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom
Boom, Corrie Ten
Sherrill, John
Paperback
A Thousand Shall Fall: The Electrifying Story of a Soldier and His Family Who Dared to Practice Their Faith in Hitler's Germany
Mundy, Susi Hasel
Paperback
Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson
Hoffman, Claire
Hardcover
Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux, with Additional Writings
St Therese of Lisieux
Paperback
Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior
Gifford, Kathie Lee
Hardcover
Lasting Ever: Faith, Music, Family, and Being Found by True Love
St James, Rebecca
Fink, Cubbie
Hardcover
Unleash Your Bravery: Saying Yes to Jesus Even When You Are Afraid
Elizarraraz, Heidi Nicole
Paperback
Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux, with Additional Writings
St Therese of Lisieux
Hardcover
To Heaven and Back: A Doctor's Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again: A True Story
Neal, Mary C.
Paperback
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church
McCammon, Sarah
Paperback
The Women of the Bible Speak: The Wisdom of 16 Women and Their Lessons for Today
Bream, Shannon
Hardcover
Charles Carroll of Carrollton: American Revolutionary
Connor, Fr Charles P.
Connor, Fr Charles
Hardcover
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church
McCammon, Sarah
Hardcover
The Long Loneliness: The Autobiography of the Legendary Catholic Social Activist
Day, Dorothy
Paperback
Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation
Meredith, Cara
Hardcover
A Spring in Sinai: Hieromartyr Mina Abood: His Life, Miracles, and Martyrdom in Post-Revolution Egypt
Marcos, Anthony
Paperback
Fight for the Forgotten: How a Mixed Martial Artist Stopped Fighting for Himself and Started Fighting for Others
Wren, Justin
Paperback
When Christians Disagree: Lessons from the Fractured Relationship of John Owen and Richard Baxter
Cooper, Tim
Paperback
The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism's Long March of Death, Deception, and Infiltration
Kengor, Paul
Hardcover
The Church of Living Dangerously: Tales of a Drug-Running Megachurch Pastor
Bishop, John Lee
Hardcover
Loved as I Am: An Invitation to Conversion, Healing, and Freedom Through Jesus
Heidland Solt, Sr. Miriam James
Paperback
La Cruz Y El Puñal = The Cross and the Switchblade
Sherrill, Juan
Sherrill, John
Wilkerson, David
Paperback
Moon Port Pastor: Adrian Rogers and the First Baptist Church of Merritt Island, Florida
Kramer, Phil
Paperback
Run Baby Run (New Edition): The True Story of a New York Gangster Finding Christ
Cruz, Nicky
Paperback
Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II
Rose, Darlene Deibler
Paperback
A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau
Long, Carolyn Morrow
Paperback
Living Water: Powerful Teachings from the International Bestselling Author of the Heavenly Man
Yun, Brother
Paperback
The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak: Lessons on Faith from Nine Biblical Families
Bream, Shannon
Hardcover
Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History
Telushkin, Joseph
Hardcover
Blood Covenant: The Story of the Mafia Prince Who Publicly Quit the Mob and Lived
Franzese, Michael
Hardcover
Rees Howells, Life of Faith, Intercession, Spiritual Warfare and Walking in the Spirit: Christian Principles, Addresses, Teaching & Testimonies from a
Backholer, Mathew
Howells, Rees
Paperback
John G. Paton, Missionary to the New Hebrides: An Autobiography (History of Vanuatu)
Paton, John G.
Paperback
Faith Still Moves Mountains: Miraculous Stories of the Healing Power of Prayer
Faulkner, Harris
Hardcover
Life of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr: A Biography and Her History in the Christian Church
Guéranger, Prosper
Paperback
Loved Not Lost: The Lies We Believe That Shape The Lives That We Lead A Testimony
Kawamura, Julia
Paperback
Life of Saint Benedict by Gregory the Great: Translation and Commentary
Kardong, Terrence G.
Paperback
Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story
Welch, Brian
Paperback
Cherished: The Amazing True Conversion Story of Tara Serino (As Told by Her Sister)
Rebimbas, Camille Serino
Paperback
Blood Brothers: The Dramatic Story of a Palestinian Christian Working for Peace in Israel
Chacour, Elias
Hazard, David
Paperback