{"product_id":"west-of-jesus-steven-kotler-9781596913448","title":"West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origins of Belief","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter spending two years in bed with Lyme disease, Steven Kotler had lost everything: his health, his job, his girl, and, he was beginning to suspect, his mind. Kotler, not a religious man, suddenly found himself drawn to the sport of surfing as if it were the cornerstone of a new faith. Why, he wondered, when there was nothing left to believe in, could he begin to believe in something as unlikely as surfing? What was belief anyway? How did it work in the body, the brain, our culture, and human history? With the help of everyone from rebel surfers to rocket scientists, Kotler undertakes a three-year globetrotting quest. The results are a startling mix of big waves and bigger ideas: a surfer's journey into the biological underpinnings of belief itself. \u003cbr\u003eSteven Kotler's novel \u003ci\u003eThe Angle Quickest for Flight \u003c\/i\u003ewas a \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller and won the William L. Crawford IAFA Fantasy Award. His nonfiction has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDiscover\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOutside\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDetails\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWired\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMen's Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere. He lives in Los Angeles. \u003cbr\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eWest of Jesus\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003cbr\u003eWest of Jesus is one of the smartest books ever about the sport and religion of surfing.-\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe ideal book for any readers who have ever asked themselves, 'How did surfing take over my life?' Kotler brings us closer to the answers via a wild, globe-trotting journey in search of surfing's much-referenced but rarely discussed spiritual side.-\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA surprisingly entertaining nonfiction account of his own spiritual quest through surfing... Kotler is often laugh-out-loud funny.-\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003eKotler's tale starts slow and then, like a seasoned surfer calibrating his board to his ride, monumentally catches stride...Call it mysterioso or the oceanic feeling, what Kotler's seeking is nothing less than the big explanation.-\u003ci\u003eVillage Voice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Steven Kotler\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1596913444\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781596913448\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bloomsbury USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/01\/2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.54lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.24h x 6.60w x 0.71d","brand":"Steven Kotler","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44049436475647,"sku":"9781596913448","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_5259fda8-f474-4acc-a4e2-962fb4ce3ccc.jpg?v=1685001507","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/west-of-jesus-steven-kotler-9781596913448","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}