Moore's 'Sweetness + Blood' tries to answer 'Who surfed there first?'

I recently finished reading an awesome sports-related book called “Sweetness and Blood: How Surfing Spread from Hawaii and California to the Rest of the World with some Unexpected Results” by Michael Scott Moore, and I highly recommend it to anyone with a taste for playing in the surf and exotic locales.

Published last year by Rodale Books, this 328-page book follows Moore and his visits to a number of off-the-beaten-path locations around the world in an attempt to answer a simple question: Who surfed there first?

Moore, a life-long surfer, grew up in Redondo Beach, Calif., which is generally considered to be the birthplace of surfing in the Continental U.S. Moore traces the history of surfing from its ancient origins in the Hawaiian Islands and its spread to California and then around the world in the 20th Century.

“What I’ve tried to assemble through ‘Sweetness and Blood’ is a folk history of surfing,” Moore said. “A personal sketch for any curious reader of how the modern sport moved around the world and became part of cultures that either have nothing to do with Hawaii or have strong reason to resist pop silliness from the first world. The result is a story of hippies, soldiers, nutcases and colonialism, a checkered history of the spread of Western culture in the years after World War II.”

In his book, Moore describes his visits to Cuba, Gaza, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Morocco, Principe, Sao Tome and the United Kingdom. For each location, Moore provides an entertaining mix of local history, geographical detail and anecdotes about the local population cuisine and surfing spots. More than a few of the places he visits are poverty stricken and dangerous, and he often relies on local guides to see him safely on his way.

Almost everywhere he goes, Moore hears a familiar story about the origins of the local surfing scene, whether it’s in Japan or Cuba. One common element in almost all of these places was that surfing was almost unheard of until it was spread by U.S. servicemen, Hollywood movies and magazines like Life.

“Sweetness and Blood” also discusses the evolution of surfboards and the problems (and dangers) that third-world surfers face in getting their hands on modern surf equipment. The book also describes the problems that women encounter in some parts of the world when it comes to surfing as well as the struggle to establish national teams in countries like Cuba.

“Sweetness and Blood” is also very funny in parts. Personally, I got a big kick out of Moore’s descriptions of German youngsters illegally surfing a municipal river canal in Munich. That chapter, and his descriptions of life in Cornwall, England were my favorites.

In the end, I enjoyed “Sweetness and Blood.” I’ve never surfed, but reading this book will definitely make you want to give it a shot. This book will also give you the itch to grab your passport, pack some sunscreen and flip-flops and board the nearest beach bound international flight.

If you’re interested in reading a copy of “Sweetness and Blood,” copies of it are available from Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and other major booksellers. To learn more about Moore and his other books, visit his Web site at www.RadioFreeMike.com.

----- 0 -----

Here are my picks for this week’s slate of SEC football games. I like Alabama over Vanderbilt, Arkansas over Auburn, LSU over Florida, Mississippi State over UAB, Tennessee over Georgia and South Carolina over Kentucky. Ole Miss does not play. Last week: 4-3 (.571), Overall: 37-8 (.822).