He dropped out of college and lived with a girlfriend who had an abortion, which led to their breakup. In addition, one friend even dropped football team practice just so he could go surfing every day after school instead.įinnegan then goes on to talk about his time in Hawaii. He then describes being 16 years old in 1968, during which surfers were seen as outcasts even though some people thought they were cool because they lived close by their families, unlike other teens who drove cars or went away for college. His parents were TV and film producers who loved the ocean, so they encouraged him to devote himself to socially conscious causes like protesting nuclear testing on islands near Hawaii. He then describes growing up in California starting from 1956 when he was four years old. Then he describes eighth grade in Hawaii where a young Finnegan contends with local waves that stoke his obsession with surfing while also fending off bullies and developing greater independence from his parents.

The book begins in Honolulu in 1966 when Finnegan’s family moves to Hawaii for his father’s job as an executive with the Ford Foundation (a philanthropic organization). He divides his memoir into chapters that describe different epochs of his life and his approach to surfing at that time. This memoir describes a lifetime of looking for waves and looking for himself. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Finnegan, William.

1-Page Summary of Barbarian Days Overview

Barbarian Days by William Finnegan