The founders of a surf school for women provide both a practical how-to guide to the sport of surfing and a witty look at the surfing lifestyle, integrating advice from professional surfers and tips on how to stay safe while having fun.

The founders of a surf school for women provide both a practical how-to guide to the sport of surfing and a witty look at the surfing lifestyle, integrating advice from professional surfers and tips on how to stay safe while having fun.

In Surfer Girls in the New World Order, Krista Comer explores surfing as a local and global subculture, looking at how the culture of surfing has affected and been affected by girls, from baby boomers to members of Generation Y. Her analysis encompasses the dynamics of international surf tourism in Sayulita, Mexico, where foreign women, mostly middle-class Americans, learn to ride the waves at a premier surf camp and local women work as manicurists, maids, waitresses, and store clerks in the burgeoning tourist economy. In recent years, surfistas, Mexican women and girl surfers, have been drawn to the Pacific coastal town’s clean reef-breaking waves. Comer discusses a write-in candidate for mayor of San Diego, whose political activism grew out of surfing and a desire to protect the threatened ecosystems of surf spots; the owners of the girl-focused Paradise Surf Shop in Santa Cruz and Surf Diva in San Diego; and the observant Muslim woman who started a business in her Huntington Beach home, selling swimsuits that fully cover the body and head. Comer also examines the Roxy Girl series of novels sponsored by the surfwear company Quiksilver, the biography of the champion surfer Lisa Andersen, the Gidget novels and films, the movie Blue Crush, and the book Surf Diva: A Girl’s Guide to Getting Good Waves. She develops the concept of “girl localism” to argue that the experience of fighting for waves and respect in male-majority surf breaks, along with advocating for the health and sustainable development of coastal towns and waterways, has politicized surfer girls around the world.

CATCH THE WAVE Have you always thought surfing looks like so much fun but lacked the confidence to try it? Do you dream of having sun-bleached hair and surf-toned arms? Maybe you’d like to join those surfers you watch from the comfort of your beach towel? With women’s surfing booming as never before, now is the perfect time to grab a board and get out there! If you’re a girl who longs to mix it up with the boys in the surf, carve graceful lines across the face of a wave, and feel the exhilaration of surfing, this book is for you. Surf’s Up has it all, including • what to look for when buying a surfboard • how to find the right waves • how to paddle out, catch waves, stand up, and turn your board • a colorful history of women’s surfing, from Gidget to Beachley • where to find North America’s dream surfing spots Writing with the passion that comes from living the surfing life for more than fifteen years, Louise Southerden brings her love of surfing to every page, offering a glimpse of surfing subculture, surf lingo, the rules of the waves, and helpful tips from other surfer girls who have survived the learning-to-surf journey. Surf’s Up is encouraging and empowering: a book no surfer girl should be without!

An impassioned homage to the divas who shake up our world and transform it with their bold, dazzling artistry. What does it mean to be a “diva”? A shifting, increasingly loaded term, it has been used to both deride and celebrate charismatic and unapologetically fierce performers like Aretha Franklin, Divine, and the women of Labelle. In this brilliant, powerful blend of incisive criticism and electric memoir, Deborah Paredez—scholar, cultural critic, and lifelong diva devotee—unravels our enduring fascination with these icons and explores how divas have challenged American ideas about feminism, performance, and freedom. American Diva journeys into Tina Turner’s scintillating performances, Celia Cruz’s command of the male-dominated salsa world, the transcendent revival of Jomama Jones after a period of exile, and the unparalleled excellence of Venus and Serena Williams. Recounting how she and her mother endlessly watched Rita Moreno’s powerhouse portrayal of Anita in West Side Story and how she learned much about being bigger than life from her fabulous Tía Lucia, Paredez chronicles the celebrated and skilled performers who not only shaped her life but boldly expressed the aspiration for freedom among brown, Black, and gay communities. Paredez also traces the evolution of the diva through the decades, dismayed at the mid-aughts’ commodification and juvenilizing of its meaning but finding its lasting beauty and power. Filled with sharp insights and great heart, American Diva is a spirited tribute to the power of performance and the joys of fandom.

Embrace adventures both big and small and pursue your wild ideas with this “profoundly inspiring and laugh-out-loud funny” (Jaimal Yogis, author of The Fear Project) guidebook from seasoned adventurer and podcaster Shelby Stanger. Will to Wild is an instruction manual to adventure. Your guide: enthusiastic outdoorswoman Shelby Stanger. Shelby has been teaching folks how to leap into the unknown since she taught her first surf class over twenty years ago. Over the years, she watched many of her students quit their jobs, end dysfunctional relationships, and move across the country for a healthier work-life balance—all after spending a bit of time in nature. Shelby marveled at the phenomenon. Being outside was changing the lives of her students, her peers, and herself. Shelby was so intrigued, she began to tell their stories, first as a writer and journalist, then as a podcast host for Wild Ideas Worth Living, REI Co-op Studio’s flagship podcast. With her first book, Will to Wild, Shelby shares all she’s witnessed and learned in her years covering adventurers. It’s the book she wishes she’d had when she’d first felt the urge to leap from familiar to wild terrain. The one that takes you step-by-step from the first inkling of inspiration for your own wild idea through fear and self-doubt and on to the finish line. In these pages, discover stories with practical tips and tactics from world-famous rock climbers and ultra-runners to longtime thru-hikers, surfers, and desk jockeys who’ve figured out how to get off the clock, and even a suburban mom who started teaching women to scale frozen waterfalls in her mid-fifties. Along with Shelby’s stories, they show you how to get unstuck, how to pay attention to “trail signs” that point you toward your adventure, how to face your fears, and what to do when everything goes haywire (which will likely never happen, never fear!). With Shelby’s characteristic strength and vulnerability, Will to Wild “is the ultimate guide for anyone looking to try something new” (Captain Liz Clark, author of Swell) and encourages you to break out of your comfort zones, get out into nature, and bring your own wild ideas to life. Whether you’re already an adventure junkie or someone who’s never set up a tent, there’s something inside these pages for you.

Written by locals, Fodor's travel guides have been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for more than 80 years. With blockbuster attractions like LEGOLAND and the world-renowned San Diego Zoo, great beaches, outdoor activities, excellent food, and an ever-expanding list of breweries and brewpubs, San Diego has become one of America's top go-to cities. Fodor's San Diego has everything travelers need to make the most of a trip, whether they're looking for an all-out family vacation or a sophisticated adult getaway. This travel guide includes: Dozens of full-color maps with essential information Hundreds of hotel and restaurant recommendations, with Fodor's Choice designating our top picks Multiple itineraries to explore the top attractions and what's off the beaten path In-depth breakout features on the San Diego Zoo, surfing, and the best beaches Coverage of Downtown, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, Old Town, Uptown, Mission Bay, La Jolla, Point Loma, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, and Coronado Side Trips to North County and Around with the coast, inland, the backcountry and the desert Planning to visit more of California? Check our Fodor's state-wide travel guide to California and also Fodor's San Francisco, Napa & Sonoma, and Los Angeles guides.