Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

by David Davis

Overview

Waterman is the first comprehensive biography of Duke Kahanamoku (1890–1968): swimmer, surfer, Olympic gold medalist, Hawaiian icon, waterman.
Long before Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz made their splashes in the pool, Kahanamoku emerged from the backwaters of Waikiki to become America’s first superstar Olympic swimmer. The original “human fish” set dozens of world records and topped the world rankings for more than a decade. Kahanamoku used his Olympic renown to introduce the sport of “surf-riding,” an activity unknown beyond the Hawaiian Islands, to the world. No American athlete has influenced two sports as profoundly as Kahanamoku did, and yet he remains an enigmatic and underappreciated figure: a dark-skinned Pacific Islander who encountered and overcame racism and ignorance long before the likes of Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, and Jackie Robinson.

Kahanamoku’s connection to his homeland was equally important. He was born when Hawaii was an independent kingdom; he served as the sheriff of Honolulu during Pearl Harbor and World War II and as a globetrotting “Ambassador of Aloha” afterward.

In Waterman award-winning journalist David Davis examines the remarkable life of Duke Kahanamoku, in and out of the water.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496206008
Publisher:	Nebraska
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Pages:	354
Sales rank:	307,864
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

David Davis is the author of Showdown at Shepherd’s Bush: The 1908 Olympic Marathon and the Three Runners Who Launched a Sporting Craze; Play by Play: Los Angeles Sports Photography, 1889–1989; and Marathon Crasher: The Life and Times of Merry Lepper, the First American Woman to Run a Marathon. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and in three anthologies, including The Best American Sports Writing. He lives in Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

"A belated and bountiful tribute to this great Hawaiian's memory."—Simon Winchester, Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal - Simon Winchester

"Waterman provides an engaging tale of a Hawaiian icon and an Olympic superstar."—Lindsay Parks Pieper, Sport in American History

Sport in American History - Lindsay Parks Pieper

"A must-read."—Surfer Today

Surfer Today

"David Davis' enjoyable new biography, Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku, presents a man of many accomplishments and few boasts."—Ryan McDonald, Easy Reader News

Easy Reader News - Ryan McDonald

"Davis is to be commended for this winning portrait of a man who 'yearned for water like it was his lover' and inspired so many, but most of all Hawaiians, to embrace competition and be proud of where they came from."—Mindy Pennybacker, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Honolulu Star-Advertiser - Mindy Pennybacker

"A belated and bountiful tribute to this great Hawaiian's memory."—Simon Winchester, Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

"This is the perfect book. . . . I'm ecstatic for the good people at Nebraska. I hope they sell a bazillion copies of Waterman."—Matt Sutherland, Foreword Reviews

Foreword Reviews - Matt Sutherland

"A must-read."—Don Wallace, Honolulu Magazine

Honolulu Magazine - Don Wallace

"This is a book that people interested in water sports or Hawaiian culture will want to add to their libraries."—Lance Smith, Guy Who Reviews Sports Books

Guy Who Reviews Sports Books - Lance Smith

"A much-needed study of a legendary Hawaiian Olympic athlete and surf pioneer."—Rob Hudson, Journal of Sport History

Journal of Sport History - Rob Hudson

“David Davis writes a wonderful tale of this royal ambassador of aloha—effortlessly riding through a world of storms with magnanimity and grace.”—Shaun Tomson, author of Surfer’s Code: Twelve Simple Lessons for Riding Through Life

Shaun Tomson

David Davis has combined clear writing and meticulous research to present the life and times of one of the legends of Olympic history.”—David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians

David Wallechinsky

“It’s remarkable how little we know about Duke Kahanamoku, one of the great figures in American sports history. As we discover in this book, there is much to be learned. We owe a debt of gratitude to David Davis for bringing the Duke’s story so thoroughly to life.”—Bruce Jenkins, author of North Shore Chronicles: Big-Wave Surfing in Hawaii

David Jenkins

“Duke Kahanamoku unabashedly introduced his unique island mind-set and highly evolved ocean skills, all derived from the nature of his surroundings, to the world beyond Hawaii. For that, he is revered to this day.”—Steve Pezman, publisher of the Surfer’s Journal

Steve Pezman