Scarred for Life: Eleven Stories About Skateboarders by Keith David Hamm
Skateboarding is a sport, a lifestyle, a pastime, a means of transport, and an ethos, but it lacks an accessible overview of the scene. Scarred for Life is a you-are-there look into the culture and practice of skateboarding, told through the lives and experiences of those who were there back in the day (as far back as the 1960s), are still there today, and will be tomorrow. Eleven chapters include oral histories of the major styles and terrains reports from the front lines, tales from everyday people and legendary skaters alike, quotes from style pioneers and technical innovators of the sport, as well as over 100 photographs from a variety of sources. From the early proving grounds of the Berkeley hills and Santa Monica swimming pools to the international reach of the X Games, Scarred for Life is poised to be the intimate history of skateboarding.