Just finished reading a great book called West of Jesus by Steven Kotler. I’m not going to do the full-on book review because this one already covers it perfectly. I will say, however, that I loved this book. It’s a quick and enjoyable read. I busted through half of it the day it came in the mail, and spread the other half over several evenings of bed-reading.

I enjoyed the read because it delved deeply into surfing, spirituality and science. Kotler isn’t a Christian, at least he never presents himself as such in the book (which has autobiographical elements), and I never quite got why Jesus is in the title (probably passed by me during one of those sleepy bed-reading sessions). So if you’re drawn to the book because of the title, you might reconsider.

I was sucked into the book because Kotler hinges much of what he writes about, as well as his recovery from Lyme disease, on the spiritual aspects of surfing. These aspects are near and dear to me–when I’ve skipped church on Sunday in favor of surfing, I’m more likely than not to call it “alterna-church.” The cleansing and renewing elements of surfing are difficult to describe, though they aren’t always there. Sometimes surfing is just a chore, other times it’s closer to a nightmare. But frequently it’s a watery communion with the Creator, and I cherish those times. Kotler’s descriptions of the spirituality of surfing rang very true to me.

A fair portion of the book is dedicated to Kotler’s quest to track down the source of a myth he heard while surfing. The basic gist of the myth is that there’s a Conductor who controls the waves and the weather, using a magical human bone. The stories he tells about chasing down the source of the myth are fun reading, with some good descriptions of surf sessions thrown in.

Along the way, Kotler delves into some serious scientific inquiry about the reasons for “flow” states and why they might occur while surfing (or rock climbing, or coding, etc). He’s got a knack for making hard science a bit more accessible (at least to my soft brain).

Anyway, it’s a great book. I’ll be passing on my copy to my surfing buddy Pete, and pimping the book to my surfing friends (and even those who used to surf *cough* Brandon *cough*)