Grajagan, Java, 1979

Surfing, Gangs, and LSD: The Upbringing of a <em>New Yorker</em> Staff Writer

The Leonard Lopate Show | Aug 4, 2015

New Yorker staff writer William Finnegan discusses his memoir, Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life. Finnegan started surfing as a child, was a member of a whites-only gang in Honolulu, and camped on an uninhabited island in Fiji. His travels took him to a Samoan fishing village, the Indonesian black market, and he nearly succumbed to malaria.

Events

William Finnegan will be speaking and signing books at Pilgrim Surf + Supply, 68 N 3rd St. Brooklyn, NY 11249, August 5 at at 6:00 p.m.

William Finnegan will be speaking and signing books at Books & Books Westhampton Beach, 49 Sunset Ave. Westhampton Beach, NY 11978, August 8 at 11:00 a.m.

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories

Dem socialists win big in NYC, but can their message play outside the five boroughs?

The election showed the DSA is playing in parts of the city where the party has previously fallen short.
Gothamist |

Feds indict former Mayor Adams adviser Frank Carone in migrant housing bribery scheme

One of former Mayor Eric Adams' oldest and closest allies was arrested Wednesday on federal corruption charges, joining a growing roster of Adams aides facing prosecution.
Gothamist |

Taking Out NYC's Trash, One Block at a Time

All Of It with Alison Stewart |

Inside the Trump White House

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan talk about their new book and the inner workings of the Trump White House.
The Brian Lehrer Show |
YOU ARE ONLINE