“Erudite yet engaging . . . strikes a winning balance between waxing wise and catching waves.” —NPR
“A marvelous analysis.” —The New York Times Book Review
“[James] is a bell-clear writer . . . and, here, takes home the gold.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“Illuminating. . . . A clear and well-informed guide.” —The Philosopher
“A beautiful book, essentially a dialogue with Jean-Paul Sartre about work and play. He’s arguing that working less and playing more, especially in the surf, is not only an okay choice but a moral one.” —Jaimal Yogis, Tampa Bay Times
“Incredibly intelligent and compelling. . . . Provocative and pure. . . . Render[s] complicated ideas easily comprehensible by way of a context of surfing attitude.” —The Maine Edge
“Thoughtful and life-affirming. . . . Funny, enthralling and above all wise, Surfing with Sartre offers fresh insights into the human condition that will interest the academic theorist, the casual surfer and everyone in between.” —Shelf Awareness
“Carefully and conscientiously crafted and deeply thoughtful. . . . Addresses major questions in philosophy from his unique perspective as both a philosopher and former surfer.” —Reason and Meaning
“Provocative. . . . Entertaining. . . . [A] nimble set of essays on topics such as work and freedom.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[A] thoughtful meditation on surfing and philosophy. . . . Even for nonsurfers, James convincingly illustrates the ways in which catching a wave can change how people understand the world and try to make meaning from experiences.” —Publishers Weekly
“Intellectually bracing. . . . Philosophy stoked with the adrenaline rush of riding one gnarly wave.” —Booklist
“[James] knows how to make us think deeply in a fun way. . . . The idea of having a University of California, Irvine, philosophy professor explain key concepts like freedom, being, and epistemology from a surfer’s perspective is way too cool.” —Library Journal
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