The unique lens in which skateboarders view the world is what binds us all as skateboarders. Where most people see a bench, downward slope or set of stairs, skateboarders see endless hours of fun and creativity. When you become a skateboarder, the way we see the world is revolutionized. How we interact with people changes, how we view employment, education, sports, art and public space; everything changes and usually for the better. As our world’s change, we inherit a new breadth of life. One that must be protected at all times but also shared when possible.
For in our own way, every skateboarder is a sociologist, an architect, a city planner and a student of humanity to some degree. In growing cases, skateboarders pursue higher degrees or careers in impressive fields to accomplish amazing things in their respected fields. These are just a score of reasons skateboarders are some of the most potently and dynamic creative individuals on the planet. And while you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can judge a book by its author. These authors are undeniably skateboarders.
While every day skateboarders are celebrated for what they accomplish on a board, every so often a skateboarder comes along and accomplishes something equally deserving of reverence off of one. In this case, these skateboarders have accomplished one of the hardest tricks to land in life: publishing a book. And just like no two skateboarders are exactly the same, each one of these books, whether fiction, poetry, illustrative, academic or biographical, have contributed to the growing accomplishments by skateboarders in literature in ways in which we can all be proud.
At Skateism, we’re honored to bring you 10 Books Written by Skateboarders Every Skater Should Read, because these accomplishments by members of our community should be celebrated. In this list alone we see professional skateboarders grow their impact in skateboarding, we see skaters use their life experience to craft one-of-a-kind novels, and academic skaters push the boundaries of our knowledge in profound ways. We recommended you check out these books not only as skateboarders but as people, and please drop us a line on some of the books we missed on this list at: info@skateism.com Happy reading!
Words by Zane Foley
“My First Skateboard”
by Karl Watson & Illustrations by Henry Jones
As skateboarders, we should all be proud of a children’s book like “My First Skateboard” by Karl Watson for introducing to children in their most impressionable years the positive aspects of skateboarding. It’s strange enough many adults cannot grasp the true nature of skateboarding, and yet, it’s perfectly understandable in the unchained eyes of the youth, who throughout “My First Skateboard” are inspired to save the world through the freedom and diversity of skateboarding. As Karl Watson explains on the book’s website, illustrator Henry Jones was the perfect choice to create the vibrant images in the book. As a renowned artist within the skateboarding community, Jones’ art highlights the inclusiveness of skate culture in humorous and inspiring images. As a sultan of skateboarding, Karl wrote this book in the hopes it would inspire young kids to ‘get their first skateboard’ and to see all people as one. Now kids have a risk free introduction to some of the most important aspects of being a skateboarder in a positive, diverse message true to skateboarding. Bravo Karl!
“Skateboarding and Femininity: Gender, Space-making and Expressive Movement”
by Dani Abulhawa
By now we are all aware of the cultural female-forces present in skateboarding but much of this phenomena as a discourse hasn’t been covered justly, let alone by a woman. While outside forces have always attempted to infiltrate skateboarding, now with the rise of female skating, many forces attempt to capitalize through gender tropes. Dani Abulhawa in her book, “Skateboarding and Femininity: Gender, Space-making and Expressive Movement,” explores, highlights and protects the value of femininity [sic] both within skateboarding and wider cultures. As a senior Lecturer in Performance at Sheffield Hallam University, an ambassador for skateboarding charity SkatePal, Dani maintains her academic commitments without compromising her true nature as a skateboarder. Her amazing work demonstrates the strength of girls and women holding and creating space in skateboarding while participating in the world beyond themselves. A truly incredible work of skateboard academia every skate should read.
“The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself”
by Rodney Mullen
We’ve all wondered what it would be like to spend time in the mind of skateboard legend Rodey Mullen. A mind responsible for the kick flip and arguably the most dominant contest skater of all time. With his book, “The Mutt: How to Skateoboard and Not Kill Yourself,” we’re invited into the life and mindset of Rodney, through an intimate uncovering of the forces that influenced his life. The book more or less operates as Rodney’s biography, exploring how the skateboard savant won 35 freestyle titles in 5 years, revolutionized flatground with countless tricks now paramount to skating, and the dramatic stories surrounding his childhood and adolescence. Would you be surprised to know Rodney actually ‘quit’ skating, leaving behind all his status and fans? Only to return from scratch to invent countless new tricks and produce more boundary pushing video parts? What we discover through Rodney’s life is just as much about the evolution of skateboarding as how our love for skating grows and transforms over time. As our minds evolve, as our bodies change, we’re inspired by Rodney to make sure our love for skating survives.
“No Comply: Skateboarding Speaks on Authority”
by Chris Long
With the type of political climate surrounding police brutality and criminal justice, “No Comply: Skateboarding Speaks on Authority” by Chris Long,” is precisely the type of book Skateism is proud to cover. The book operates as a fascinating compendium of skateboarders’ encounters with law enforcement, with heralded pro skateboarders lending their stories and powerful images of skate photographers. Some of the skaters included are Marc Johnson, Karl Watson, Mike York and Anthony Papplardo (two of which have books of their own on this list). The books publishing in 2006, now operates as a foreshadowing of events skateboarders have been aware of for some time. Even so, 15 years later this book is still a must read for any skateboarder. 10/10 we recommend.
“Skateboarding LA: Inside Professional Street Skateboarding”
by Gregory Snyder
When we think of what it means to be a professional skateboarder, we envision ourselves in the street of Los Angeles, for a reason. Skateboarding was born in LA. It’s where the first contests were held, where the first skate shops were built and where skateparks and skate spots were consecrated. What Gregory Snyder captures in his book, “Skateboarding LA: Inside Professional Street Skateboarding” is a unique account of all of the interactions pro skateboarders conduct with the city of Los Angeles, both as an industry and recreational activity with great enthusiasm. Brother to pro skater Aaron Snyder and someone who spent his formative years on a Tommy Guerrero skateboard, Snyder is the Associate Professor of Sociology at Baruch College, New York and currently helps fundraise for CSEF, the first national non profit offering scholarships to student skateboarders. If Snyder didn’t already do enough for skateboarding, he offers his book in PDF format for free, HERE. The book is really best read in your hands however, as Snyder evokes powerful images from skateboarding’s past.
“Skateboarding, Space and the City Architecture and the Body”
by Iain Borden
Several of these books including in this article allude to how being a skateboarder revolutionizes the space around you, but none as comprehensible and profound as Iain Borden does so in his book, “Skateboarding, Space and the City Architecture and the Body.” As the book’s publisher wrote on their website, “dismissive of authority and convention, skateboarders suggest that the city is not just a place for working and shopping but a true pleasure-ground, a place where the human body, emotions and energy can be expressed to the full.” Thanks to Iain, we don’t suggest this but we know it. This book is perfect for anyone interested in the history and sociology of skateboarding as it pertains to urban geography and architecture. Based in the U.K, Iain conducts a performative critique of city architecture and capitalism in a riveting book full of historical insights every skateboarder should read.
“If I Fall, If I Die”
by Michael Christie
It’s one thing for a skateboarder to write about skateboarding, it’s a whole different story (pun intended) when a skater publishes a fiction novel. “If I Fall, if I Die” by Michael Christie is a death defying coming of age story, exploring the ideas of freedom and knowledge gained from defying society’s and parental boundaries. In his book, the main protagonist Will Cardiel discovers skateboarding’s power as a transformational object. Christie through his cathartic and redemptive use of a skateboard, peppers true to reality skateboarding reference from using the name Cardiel, to descriptively illustrating the bliss of slashing curbs and opening the fresh pages of skate magazines. Literary enthusiasts and pro skaters Walker Ryan and Mark Succi have both shared the books on their Instagrams. If what we wrote here isn’t enough to make you want to pick up a copy, we don’t know what is.
“High Tech Poetry”
by Mark Gonzales
We wanted to include a poetry book in our list, so what better book than to include one from skateboarding’s most illustrious figure, Mark Gonzales. Gonzales’ book, “High Tech poetry” is just one of the many artistic adventures set upon the skateboard world by the artist, who finds early inspiration from the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Norman Rockwell and the television show Sanford & Son. “High Tech Petry” brings together his unique perspective as an artistic fervent from the irreverence of capitalism, to the plight of man with revealing poetry and cartoonish sketches. While ‘the Gonz’ accomplished his first public reading of his work at the Wexner Center for the Arts, with the status of the book being out of print since 2010. This has made the book one of the great white buffalos of skateboarding literature, with used copies selling upwards of $90 (if you can even find them).
“The Answer is Never: A Skateboarder’s History of the World”
by Jocko Weyland
What Jocko encaptures in his book, “The Answer Is Never: A Skateboarder’s History of the World,” is nothing short of what skateboarding has gifted all of us. The book drops in head first into what it’s like to have skateboarding awaken a true sense of possibility, to realize as how the New Yorker book review put it: “that what you’ve grown up with is not what you’re stuck with.” The books on this list are gifts to all of us as they remind us how fortunate we are to be skateboarders. How fortunate we are to fall in love with something that truly loves us back. Jocko’s writing has appeared in Thrasher and Metropolis, connecting everything from the hard-ridden half-pipe to the suburban driveway. Merging the historical development of skateboarding with the passages of his own experience as an internationally traveling skater, Weyland paints a fully-realize portrait of our beloved culture’s anti-authoritarian worldview to which countless other groups have grown to revere skateboaridng for. We can’t thank you enough for representing skating in this respect Weyland.
“Skateboarding and Social Justice: Activism, Power and Change”
by Indigo Willing & Anthony Pappalardo [due 2021]
We wanted to leave you something to look forward to on this list but this by no means was the only reason we included “Skateboarding and Social Justice: Activism, Power and Change” by Indigo Willing and Anthony Pappalardo. The dynamic author duo took to twitter earlier in October to announce their book publishing deal; with #skatetwitter commenting and retweeting away their support. For both Indigo Willing and Anthony Pappalardo have been gatekeeping their skater-perspectives for those who are willing to listen. With our own articles on Skateism surrounding the power of activism by skateboarders, we couldn’t be more proud to promote a book exploring the long overdue concept of skateboarding and social justice. Due in 2021, you can follow Indigo and Anthony on social media for the exact dates, or check back to the site for all things skateboarding.
