cover image Surfing the Middle East: Deviant Journalism from the Lost Generation

Surfing the Middle East: Deviant Journalism from the Lost Generation

Jesse Aizenstat. Casbah, $26.95 hardcover (240p) ISBN 978-0-9837009-1-3

Surfing enthusiast Aizenstat's memoir of his successful attempt to surf from Israel to Lebanon is a fascinating if uneven look at what happens when a postcollege stunt%E2%80%94"a mission to surf the last place anyone expected: the Middle East"%E2%80%94becomes reality. Since the Israeli-Lebanese border is closed, Aizenstat's plan is to surf off Haifa in northern Israel, travel south through Jerusalem and across the West Bank to an inland airport in Jordan, and then fly over Syria to Beirut. He is able to pull it off by using multiple passports and relying on a coterie of old friends and new acquaintances, many more interesting than the journey itself. These include California-crazed surfers in both Israel and Lebanon, some young journalists who take Aizenstat to a Palestinian protest in the occupied territories that opens the author's eyes to suffering, and some students from the Lebanese American University who take the author to one of the last remaining synagogues in Lebanon. Unfortunately, Aizenstat's writing style is similar to the gonzo journalism of Hunter S. Thompson%E2%80%94he even uses Thompsonesque expletives like "sweet Jesus!" and phrases like "King Hell Bastard"%E2%80%94which too often detracts from his story and his observations.