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"Unless you've been living under a very large rock, you've undoubtedly seen bumper stickers emblazoned with the phrase 'Eddie Would Go' and heard of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave event. But if that's where your knowledge of the famous Hawaiian waterman drops off--read on. Piecing together interviews from the Aikau family, Eddie's friends and a handful of surfing icons, Stuart Holmes Coleman chronicles the life--and untimely death--of this North Shore legend. The book ranges from tales of Eddie's perilous rescues as a lifeguard at Waimea to the huge parties at the Aikau family home to his accomplishments as a big wave charger. Along the way, the author paints an intriguing picture of the North Shore scene during the 60's and 70's, detailing the growth of the professional surfing tour, the emergence of localism, and historic sessions at Waimea. As readers soon find out though, Eddie's life wasn't all shakas and barrels. Coleman's book dutifully describes both the joy and the tragedies that marked Eddie's life and shaped the quiet, introspective man. It all culminates with the tragic story of the sinking of the voyaging canoe Hokule'a and Eddie's heroic efforts to save his fellow crew members. As the canoe foundered in stormy seas, he decided to paddle his surfboard for help--never to be seen again. "Although the first half of the book reads a bit unsteadily, your patience is rewarded and the book becomes something of a pageturner. Bottom line: Every surfer worth his salt will appreciate 'Eddie Would Go." --Mark Anders - Surfer Mag (June 04) "The real strength and drama of the book, however, is in the detailed recreation of the ill-fated voyage leading up to the hero's death...While author Coleman maintains a reverential tone about his subject throughout Eddie Would Go, he has nonetheless done a great service by giving human dimensions to a figure that otherwise may have been mythologized beyond any real connection to the living man." -- Longboard Magazine "This book is essential reading for any surfer interested in our modern history.Ý Its magic is in the way it joins up our culture's recent past...with Hawaii's own cultural history.Ý By focusing on the life of Eddie, a hero not just for surfers but also for the Hawaiian people, Stuart H. Coleman smoothly places surfing into its true Hawaiian context and thus gives us a much broader view of the place we see as our 'Mecca' than any other surf book ever has.Ý Help from most of the main players in Eddie's life, particularly the Aikau family, means that the book is detailed, thorough and above powerful in a heartbreaking yet uplifting way.Ý Every surfer should read it." -- The Surfer's Path "Ex-Punahou professor, current freelance writer, and longtime surfer, Stuart Coleman made the Aikau story his personal crusade over the last few years.Ý The Family "Aikau" and we, the "readers" couldn't hope to have a more enthusiastic scribe sinking his teeth into the story. This is a must-have for the comprehensive surf bibliophile." -- Scott Hulet, The Surfer's Journal "A compelling tale of one man's quest to bring honor to himself and his people." -- Emmett Berg, Los Angeles Times "Eddie Aikau's life is a story waiting to be told, and it could not have been told any better than in Stuart Coleman's Eddie Would Go. This is a best seller in the same way as the The Perfect Storm." - Peter Cole, Big-Wave Surfing Pioneer "Coleman's compelling book Eddie Would Go is a must-read for surfers, adventure afficionados and Hawaiiana enthusiasts." - Sandra Kimberly Hall, biographer of Duke Kahanamoku. "It's amazing the impact Eddie had on the surfing world and Hawaii. It touches the community at a real grass-roots level." - Kelly Slater, World Champion Surfer "Eddie Aikau was a real Hawaiian hero. In the end, Eddie's story is about hope and healing." - Nainoa Thompson, Master Navigator, Polynesian Voyaging Society "Eddie Aikau was a hero who, in death, became like a god - that's a terrifying challenge for most writers. But Eddie was blessed with the right biographer; his soulful life has become a pageturner of a book. We always knew Eddie would go. Now, thanks to Stuart Coleman's compelling biography, we know why." - Jesse Kornbluth, Editorial Director, America Online "Stuart Coleman has developed Eddie Aikau's life story experiences with family and friends into an adventure format, weaving them together in a 'lime capsule' that allows the reader to enjoy the journey with Eddie." - George Downing, Director of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Contest "The phrase - Eddie Would Go - is found on bumper stickers and T-shirts sold in surf shops around the world. Its meaning has never been fully explained, until now. The story Coleman discovered is the extraordinary life and tragic death of Eddie Aikau, a Hawaiian waterman, lifeguard and pioneering big-wave rider." - Terry Rogers, San Diego Union-Tribune "What Coleman discovered was that Eddie's life was not a simple story about a surfer. Instead, he found a multifaceted man with all the dualities one would expect from a protagonist in a great novel." - Chad Pata, Midweek "Coleman is a talented writer with an obvious appreciation of his adopted state and a strong grasp of its tumultuous history and the renaissance of its cultural heritage and pride. Besides his vivid, soulful portrait of Eddie, his descriptions of the building and sailing of the Hokule'a and of the controversies that developed around it are of particular interest." - Julia G. Ledyard, Tennessean "Only a mainland haole (Caucasian) could have written this book. Eddie Aikau has become such a powerful Hawaiian icon that the emotional, cultural and historical baggage would have immobilized a local writer trying to tell Eddie's remarkable tale. Unencumbered by such a burden, Stuart Coleman is able to approach the story with the beginner's mind of a Zen student, unclouded by any preconceptions. Coleman's other attribute in tackling this daunting task that he is a teacher, disciplined in seeking the truth from disparate sources." - Greg Ambrose, The Honolulu Star-Bulletin "Stuart Coleman's new biography of surfing/lifeguard legend Eddie Aikau is fantastic. It's about Hawaiian history, culture, values and especially 'ohana (family). It's about the Vietnam War. It's about the '60s and '70s transitioning from 'wine, women and song' to 'drugs, sex and rock 'n roll.' It's about Duke Kahanamoku. It's about the infancy of professional surfing. It's about the creation of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and Hokule'a. It's about timeS?My apologies to Coleman and the Aikaus for not adequately describing how good this book is or the scope of the material it covers." - Mark Cunningham, Honolulu Weekly "Eddie Aikau was a lot of things. But thanks to Coleman's book he will be remembered for what matters most: as a man who laid down his life for his fellow man." - Terry Tomalin, St. Petersburg Times http://www.tampabay.com/aboutbooks/column.cfm?col=EDG "Eddie was blessed with the right biographer; his soulful life has become a pageturner of a book. We always knew Eddie would go. Now, thanks to Stuart Coleman's compelling biography, we know why." - Jesse Kornbluth, former Editorial Director, America Online http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/097062137X.asp "A lifelong surfer himself, Stuart Holmes Coleman vividly captures the power and the glory of Hawaii's 'outdoor cathedral,' from Eddie's assault on the waves at Waimea Bay in 1967, to the wipeouts, victories and unforgettable moments that shaped the lives of the 'majestic aristocracy' of surfing. A tale both heartfelt and inspiring, Eddie Would Go isn't just for surfers. It should be required reading for those of who are determined to live a good life." - Randolph Giudice, Oahu Island News http://oahuislandnews.com/Mar03/Book.htm "Eddie Would Go is not only the tale of the life of Eddie Aikau, it is the chronicle of the emergence and establishment of the Hawaiian Renaissance and the rebirth of native Hawaiian pride and a spirited revival of culture that continues today, and it is the enduring story of how the life of one quiet man can touch the world." - Eric Paul Shaffer, Maui Time Weekly http://www.mauitime.com/v06iss25/cvr2cvr.html http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/08/RV149366.DTL http://thebestreviews.com/review10323 http://www.photogybooks.com/cocoon/photogybooks/2084_097062137X_book.html http://starbulletin.com/2002/12/15/features/story1.html http://www.corkycarroll.com/column/121802.html http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Jun/01/il/il07a.html http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/2000/Mar/05/islandlife1.html http://www.hanahou.com/greaterlove.htm
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