Chas Smith has spent his whole life surfing. He has written adventure/travel stories for Playboy, Esquire, Vice, GQ, BlackBook, and The New York Times Magazine. He has covered wars in Lebanon, conflicts in Yemen, dirty oil dealings in Azerbaijan, and fashion in Somalia. He is the former editor-at-living-large for Surfing magazine, and writes for Australia's Stab. He lives in Los Angeles and has spent five winters on the North Shore.
[A] ripping profile of the surf culture on Oahu's North Shore . . . Smith['s] storytelling is taught . . . -- Wall Street Journal"Chas Smith is a stone-cold original-a globe-trotting, war-reporting, motorcycle-driving, cigarette-smoking, tube-riding, fashion-obsessed international dandy with a penchant for dangerous people, places, and, most of all, prose. Welcome To Paradise, Now Go To Hell is absolutely the most entertaining surf book in years, a breathless adrenalized romp." -- Daniel Duane, author of Caught Inside, A Surfer's Year on the California Coast"Absolutely the most entertaining surf book in years, a breathless adrenalized romp. More importantly, it's a jaw-dropping introduction to Smith's greatest--and most promising--literary creation, himself. This man-and this book-are both going places." -- Daniel Duane, author of Caught Inside: A Surfer's Year on the California CoastA vivid and somewhat disconcerting depiction of the world of surfing and its attendant problems . . . An uncommon read for those interested in surfing or those seeking a look at Hawaii from a vantage point not normally found in history books. -- Library JournalA hip expos� of Hawaii's North Shore surfing culture . . . entertains, while superior reporting informs and illuminates much about the surf industry's peculiar machinations, its cavalcade of sun-bleached heroes and the troubled history of Hawaii itself . . . effortlessly shifting from the profound to the profane. -- Kirkus ReviewsA mix of reportage and gonzo journalism.... [with] trenchant...astute observations.... If Hunter S. Thompson circa Hell's Angels merged with a fashion critic to write about surfing for Maxim, the result might be similar. -- Publishers WeeklySmith grabs us with his first sentence [with] this exciting and revelatory book -- BooklistA book of real literary style and grace . . . gleefully mischievous . . . handles like a '54 Porsche: smooth, glamorous, and totally out of control. -- FlauntMade me think hard about the North Shore . . . To the best of my knowledge, nothing like it exists." -- The InertiaSmith doesn't simply stand in judgment. He loves the world of the North Shore, and he hates it. With gleeful defiance and feral wit, he harnesses his ambivalence to fuel this compulsive, wild ride of a book. -- Sydney Morning Herald, Pick of the WeekA wild and unflinching look at the adrenalin-soaked world of surfing. -- Melbourne Herald Sun
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