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Hosoi: My Life as a Skateboarder Junkie Inmate Pastor – A Legend's Unflinching Memoir from 1980s Fame to Redemption
A mix of Tony Hawk and Brian Welch comes together in skateboarding legend Christian Hosoi, who reveals everything about his rise, fall, and redemption, in this amazing tell-all—from being named the greatest skater of all time to bottoming out on drugs to finally finding redemption through God.
Fans of Slater Kelly’s Pipe Dreams and Brian Welch’s Save Me From Myself, and followers of Tony Alva, Jay Adams, and Steve Caballero, will be captivated by this extraordinary, star-studded story, a gripping read that ranges from the heart of the 1980s skateboarding scene to the inside of a prison, from Hollywood parties to intense prayer sessions.
My Life as a Skateboarder Junkie Inmate Pastor takes readers to the heart of one little-known world after another—and he portrays them in all their gore and glory for all the world to see.
Fans of Slater Kelly’s Pipe Dreams and Brian Welch’s Save Me From Myself, and followers of Tony Alva, Jay Adams, and Steve Caballero, will be captivated by this extraordinary, star-studded story, a gripping read that ranges from the heart of the 1980s skateboarding scene to the inside of a prison, from Hollywood parties to intense prayer sessions.
My Life as a Skateboarder Junkie Inmate Pastor takes readers to the heart of one little-known world after another—and he portrays them in all their gore and glory for all the world to see.
357 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
September 27, 2013
As far as memoirs go, "Hosoi" has perhaps the most divergent mix of target readers out there: skaters, 1980s enthusiasts, recovering drug addicts, and new school Christians. Hosoi nobly attempts to satisfy them all but the limitations of the first-person genre, namely, the sporadic input of others and the subject's selection of events to prioritize, results in a book that is wide in scope but slim in substance.
It does have many good points. If you toyed around on a skateboard in the Reagan era and enjoy 1980s nostalgia to a healthy, non-obsessive degree, Christian's anecdotes about skate tournaments, Tony Hawk and the "Two Coreys" era of Hollywood will be an amusing guilty pleasure.
Readers interested in Hosoi's addiction, his related criminal behaviors and his eventual 5-year prison term will also appreciate this book. Hosoi talks candidly about his drug use and the disastrous effects it had on his family and career, and unlike most celebrity memoirists, he gives plenty of hideous details. Showing a humility that suggests his sobriety is the real thing, he includes the damning recollections of his old drug buddies.
One weakness is that Hosoi says little about the legal system that incarcerated him - a nonviolent if troubled man who had tremendous potential to educate the public but instead wasted half a decade in jail. Hosoi didn't serve time to avenge his hypothetical victims or to spare the public his menacing aura; he went to jail to satisfy dubious political and law enforcement agendas. He's a smart and reflective survivor of the War on Drugs and his opinions on it would be appreciated.
Hosoi devotes the last few chapters to his religious conversion and his ministry, an absolutist lifestyle that seems at odds with the cool and charismatic kid who feared no injury in his prime. Just as the book itself is limited by the conventions of the rise-and-fall memoir, Hosoi the man appears to be limiting himself to the rise-and-fall life narrative of his fellow emergent Christian leaders. Far from projecting denial or submission, Hosoi sounds content to be a humbled and obedient man of god. The fact that strict rules and ideology proved to be the healthiest thing for an athlete who broke every boundary in his sport is a paradox that deserves more exploration in these pages.
It does have many good points. If you toyed around on a skateboard in the Reagan era and enjoy 1980s nostalgia to a healthy, non-obsessive degree, Christian's anecdotes about skate tournaments, Tony Hawk and the "Two Coreys" era of Hollywood will be an amusing guilty pleasure.
Readers interested in Hosoi's addiction, his related criminal behaviors and his eventual 5-year prison term will also appreciate this book. Hosoi talks candidly about his drug use and the disastrous effects it had on his family and career, and unlike most celebrity memoirists, he gives plenty of hideous details. Showing a humility that suggests his sobriety is the real thing, he includes the damning recollections of his old drug buddies.
One weakness is that Hosoi says little about the legal system that incarcerated him - a nonviolent if troubled man who had tremendous potential to educate the public but instead wasted half a decade in jail. Hosoi didn't serve time to avenge his hypothetical victims or to spare the public his menacing aura; he went to jail to satisfy dubious political and law enforcement agendas. He's a smart and reflective survivor of the War on Drugs and his opinions on it would be appreciated.
Hosoi devotes the last few chapters to his religious conversion and his ministry, an absolutist lifestyle that seems at odds with the cool and charismatic kid who feared no injury in his prime. Just as the book itself is limited by the conventions of the rise-and-fall memoir, Hosoi the man appears to be limiting himself to the rise-and-fall life narrative of his fellow emergent Christian leaders. Far from projecting denial or submission, Hosoi sounds content to be a humbled and obedient man of god. The fact that strict rules and ideology proved to be the healthiest thing for an athlete who broke every boundary in his sport is a paradox that deserves more exploration in these pages.
July 8, 2012
Hosoi is and always will be one of my all-time favorite skateboarders. Having grown up a skater and followed his career since it's heyday I knew the turn of events his life has taken since the 80's, having also watched the DVD "Rising Son", therefore not much in this book came as a surprise, though I still found most of it to be an entertaining read. Being the fan that I am I looked forward to reading more about the first hand experiences he had and gain perspective from someone who's athletic ability I admire so much.
One thing I 'm having a hard time wrapping my head around is near the end where he says "I'm a Christian, but make no mistake: I'm not religious"... I think we all can agree Christianity is a religion, right? So he's found (the Christian) God, quotes (the Christian) bible, performs exorcisms and spiritual healing in the name of said (Christian) God and claims to not be "religious"? Really?
Don't get me wrong, I respect Christian for turning his life around, doing something positive with it and inspiring others to do the same. He will always be (to me) one of the greatest vert skateboarders of all time. One cannot deny the positive contributions he is now making to society, as well as individuals who have yet to find their identity and positive balance in life. I firmly believe actions always speak louder than words, religious or not. Lets just not discount the power of learning to believe in oneself first and foremost.
One thing I 'm having a hard time wrapping my head around is near the end where he says "I'm a Christian, but make no mistake: I'm not religious"... I think we all can agree Christianity is a religion, right? So he's found (the Christian) God, quotes (the Christian) bible, performs exorcisms and spiritual healing in the name of said (Christian) God and claims to not be "religious"? Really?
Don't get me wrong, I respect Christian for turning his life around, doing something positive with it and inspiring others to do the same. He will always be (to me) one of the greatest vert skateboarders of all time. One cannot deny the positive contributions he is now making to society, as well as individuals who have yet to find their identity and positive balance in life. I firmly believe actions always speak louder than words, religious or not. Lets just not discount the power of learning to believe in oneself first and foremost.
February 2, 2021
This is somewhat of a nostalgic childhood interest read. I was skater back in mid-80’s to early 90’s and guys like Christian Hosoi were legend for us. Confession; Rodney Mullen was my main guy as I skated on a freestyle board back then. Very odd. As life has gone on I have loved following the old guard of skateboarding. Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero & Christian Hosoi are some of my favorite Instagram posters. Christian posted at some point about his book. So I jumped in.
It is a super fun read if you were a skater back in these days. All the names, stories and photos (some of the photos in the book were wallpapered in my room) are super fun to remember younger days. The book spends a lot of time within the years of his skating heyday and his drug use. It almost feels like, ‘I got it dude you did a ton of drugs’ a few times but I suppose in the end that is part of the remarkable transformation. His time in prison (where he is born again in Jesus) and then his reassembling of his family life post prison are relatively short (just a few chapters) but it surmises his journey well. It isn’t overly preachy.. rather tasteful.. isn’t super deep theological.. more of a sharing of heart. I can appreciate that.
It was an easy read, especially early on as I already knew ‘the characters’ of his story. Those folks didn’t need much development in my world.. just a stir of the memory banks.
Fun read if you have skater in your blood. Fun read if you enjoy the possibilities of the human & spiritual transformation.
It is a super fun read if you were a skater back in these days. All the names, stories and photos (some of the photos in the book were wallpapered in my room) are super fun to remember younger days. The book spends a lot of time within the years of his skating heyday and his drug use. It almost feels like, ‘I got it dude you did a ton of drugs’ a few times but I suppose in the end that is part of the remarkable transformation. His time in prison (where he is born again in Jesus) and then his reassembling of his family life post prison are relatively short (just a few chapters) but it surmises his journey well. It isn’t overly preachy.. rather tasteful.. isn’t super deep theological.. more of a sharing of heart. I can appreciate that.
It was an easy read, especially early on as I already knew ‘the characters’ of his story. Those folks didn’t need much development in my world.. just a stir of the memory banks.
Fun read if you have skater in your blood. Fun read if you enjoy the possibilities of the human & spiritual transformation.
June 19, 2017
If you've seen the documentary Rising Son this book is not a necessary read. Not bad just not great.
June 22, 2018
Memoir by Christian Hosoi an 80's skateboarder who ended up becoming addicted to meth and converting to Christianity. Now, I am not a fan of skateboarding but I do remember seeing Hosoi stickers way back when and I enjoy a good conversion story so I decided to give this one a try. In this book, Hosoi compares himself to the prodigal son. In the Bible story, the son left his family with an inheritance and lived a luxurious life only to return humbly after he lost it all. Now Christian had a similar story but he was just as cocky in the end of the book as he was in the beginning. He kept going on and on about how he great he was and how he's even greater now since he is a Christian. He even tells a story about how he was so great that a woman chose him over Prince...so....she chose a skater over a musical icon...really?....I'm pretty sure she made that decision based on the drugs that she was taking and not on his great looks or the sexual prowess that he envisions he has. I think the final straw was him stating he has the faith to exorcise demons when in reality he was not dealing with demons but the effects people were having on drugs. There was nothing inspiring in this story. Don't bother with this one.
October 11, 2013
Wow! What a story! A junky that turns into a pastor! This story of pro skateboarder, Christian Hosoi, is a sad, yet inspiring and moving story. I chose this book because I am a skateboarder as well, and wanted to learn about a prominent figure in the skating world.
Hosoi was about seven years old when he started his skating career. He was a pioneer of skateboarding. Skateboarding was new, and when he and some of his friends got on their boards they blew it up . Skating was his drug. He literally got a rush from being high in the air. He skated every day, coming up with new tricks and breaking his own records. He was so young and daring and rose to stardom almost immediately.
He was famous and partied all the time, getting uber wasted with his friends at some of the biggest Orange County night clubs. His partying eventually got out of control and led to his downfall. Some of the things in his life were almost TOO hard to believe, such as getting high on weed for the first time when he was only eight years old, smoking methamphetamine when he was only in his teens, and getting arrested several times for smoking and possession of methamphetamine, or what he calls "speed". He eventually ended up in prison where he discovered the Holy Bible. This was the turning point of his life.
Hosoi basically created the face of skating and continues to change it. His life has changed greatly since his crazy, drug induced youth. Today his high only comes from sharing God with others, skating, and helping youth stay out of trouble. I thought the book was very inspiring and moving because , you come to the realization that he turned his whole life around. He went from being a pot head junkie, to becoming a well known pro skater pastor, and became very successful in life.
Hosoi was about seven years old when he started his skating career. He was a pioneer of skateboarding. Skateboarding was new, and when he and some of his friends got on their boards they blew it up . Skating was his drug. He literally got a rush from being high in the air. He skated every day, coming up with new tricks and breaking his own records. He was so young and daring and rose to stardom almost immediately.
He was famous and partied all the time, getting uber wasted with his friends at some of the biggest Orange County night clubs. His partying eventually got out of control and led to his downfall. Some of the things in his life were almost TOO hard to believe, such as getting high on weed for the first time when he was only eight years old, smoking methamphetamine when he was only in his teens, and getting arrested several times for smoking and possession of methamphetamine, or what he calls "speed". He eventually ended up in prison where he discovered the Holy Bible. This was the turning point of his life.
Hosoi basically created the face of skating and continues to change it. His life has changed greatly since his crazy, drug induced youth. Today his high only comes from sharing God with others, skating, and helping youth stay out of trouble. I thought the book was very inspiring and moving because , you come to the realization that he turned his whole life around. He went from being a pot head junkie, to becoming a well known pro skater pastor, and became very successful in life.
November 10, 2021
In the '80s, I always sort of felt like Hosoi was a bit of a douchebag. He seemed really obnoxious and full of himself, and that always sort of annoyed me. Turns out he was exactly as narcissistic as he seemed to be back then.
The first 70-80% of the book is bragging. About girls; about drugs; about celebrities... and skateboarding. Hosoi was successful, sure. But a little humility goes a long way.
The last 20% of the book is tedious. It's all about his conversion to Christianity, and it reads just like any other conversion story. There's a lot of Christian rhetoric, and obligatory bible verse dropping. And it is BLAND. I honestly zoned out for some of the last few chapters 'cos basically the preachy droning was a lot to take.
That said, the book is written as honestly as an autobiography can be written. I may not like people like Christian Hosoi, but the book itself is excellent. It is 100% authentic. And even if you aren't into skateboarding or know who Christian Hosoi is, the book is definitely worth a read.
The first 70-80% of the book is bragging. About girls; about drugs; about celebrities... and skateboarding. Hosoi was successful, sure. But a little humility goes a long way.
The last 20% of the book is tedious. It's all about his conversion to Christianity, and it reads just like any other conversion story. There's a lot of Christian rhetoric, and obligatory bible verse dropping. And it is BLAND. I honestly zoned out for some of the last few chapters 'cos basically the preachy droning was a lot to take.
That said, the book is written as honestly as an autobiography can be written. I may not like people like Christian Hosoi, but the book itself is excellent. It is 100% authentic. And even if you aren't into skateboarding or know who Christian Hosoi is, the book is definitely worth a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2012
An interesting, quick read despite it not being the most well-written piece of lit I've ever read. If you were a fan of Hosoi and other skaters of the 80s and 90s like I was, it's fun to hear about all of the shenanigans that those guys got into at the time. But even I got a bit sick of him talking about how awesome he was about halfway through. I'll give it to him that he definitely turned his life around and will remain one of the greatest skaters of all time. This is a great book to get lost in for a day or two.
April 3, 2022
Though I idolized him during my teenage years, I had no idea of the downward trajectory of Hosoi's life. This was such an honest, open look into the emergence, downfall, and reinvention of this legendary skateboarding icon. Having been around the skate scene in Hawai'i in the late 80's, I knew several people who hung out with Hosoi regularly. Perhaps to hide thrown bad habits, I was never aware Hosoi was so into drugs. Nevertheless, it was fun to see some familiar faces in the candid photos in the book. More importantly, Hose's message is one of caution and, ultimately, hope.
April 8, 2019
A ripper book by one of the best skaters of my generation. Looked up to this guy when I was younger and after reading his book I look up to him more. He opened his life to give us the highs and lows and showed that people can get through anything in life, but some do and some unfortunately don’t. A great read for anyone that skated in the 80s or 90s
February 6, 2017
3.5 stars
Loved the first 70-75 percent, and even though I knew the religion was in it and the book was headed that way, thought it was too much in the last 25 percent of the book.
That being said, I'm glad Hosoi turned himself around because he was one of the greats.
Loved the first 70-75 percent, and even though I knew the religion was in it and the book was headed that way, thought it was too much in the last 25 percent of the book.
That being said, I'm glad Hosoi turned himself around because he was one of the greats.
September 20, 2018
If you skateboard int he 80`s, this is a must read about the rise, fall and the comeback of one of skateboarding greatest heroes.
September 15, 2021
Very interesting, I was one of those skateboarding kids back in the 80's and reading Hosoi's life experience really talked to me.
November 26, 2021
Amazing. Have read it more then once.
March 2, 2023
Watch a YouTube doc on him. The book is not worth it
May 25, 2015
Growing up in Beaufort, SC in the 1980s, Christian Hosoi was one of my skateboard heroes. I dreamed of watching him with my other skateboarding idols at Savannah Slamma in the late 80s; my pre-teen years were captivated with launch ramps, half pipes, trucks, decks, and wheels. To this day, skateboarding remains at the top of my list of my most favorite lifetime activities - easily beating out snowboarding, pole vaulting, and jumping out of airplanes. Skateboarding was and is king!
When I learned a few years ago that God had saved Hosoi, I was intrigued but a little skeptical. I'd read and heard similar stories of the likes of Brian Welch and Stephen Baldwin coming to saving faith in Jesus, but I've always approached these stories with cautious optimism. After seeing a number of videos and reading a number of articles about Hosoi's life since leaving prison about 10 years ago, I was excited to perceive that his faith in Christ was genuine.
So, I was similarly excited to read his biography when it was released a few weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised with the book. Hosoi's story reads as a real "death to life" conversion of a serial womanizer and drug addict - a change that can only come through God placing His Holy Spirit in someone's life through faith in Jesus. My one criticism of the book is that it might serve as a stumbling block to some. The majority of the book tells the tale of Hosoi's fame, success, and the debauchery that came with it. I fear that a non-believer or an immature believer could be led astray by such stories, especially if they only read the first three-quarters of the book.
Overall, though, an incredible story of redemption - one that only can be told through Jesus' atoning sacrifice for sinners just like me and Christian Hosoi.
When I learned a few years ago that God had saved Hosoi, I was intrigued but a little skeptical. I'd read and heard similar stories of the likes of Brian Welch and Stephen Baldwin coming to saving faith in Jesus, but I've always approached these stories with cautious optimism. After seeing a number of videos and reading a number of articles about Hosoi's life since leaving prison about 10 years ago, I was excited to perceive that his faith in Christ was genuine.
So, I was similarly excited to read his biography when it was released a few weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised with the book. Hosoi's story reads as a real "death to life" conversion of a serial womanizer and drug addict - a change that can only come through God placing His Holy Spirit in someone's life through faith in Jesus. My one criticism of the book is that it might serve as a stumbling block to some. The majority of the book tells the tale of Hosoi's fame, success, and the debauchery that came with it. I fear that a non-believer or an immature believer could be led astray by such stories, especially if they only read the first three-quarters of the book.
Overall, though, an incredible story of redemption - one that only can be told through Jesus' atoning sacrifice for sinners just like me and Christian Hosoi.
June 6, 2013
Really enjoyed this book and glad that I got it. Christian's testimony and life story truly is enthralling. I was a little worried at first that the writing wasn't going to be up to snuff, but on the contrary I found that the book flowed rather nicely and Christian's voice really came through. Kudos to the co-writer Chris Ahrens for that. I love the transformation that took place in Christian once I got clean in prison. It not only points to the power of the scriptures, but even more so to the Holy Spirit's pursuit of Hosoi that he then realized had been happening his whole life. Hearing about his upbringing and family life as a child was really eye-opening. Its quite hard to imagine that his parents raised him like that; allowed him to drop out of school, smoked weed with him as an elementary student, that's really wild stuff. Loved seeing it come full circle though as he led his parents to Christ. You certainly get the idea that Christian is a really gracious guy. I remember as I was reading it at one point and was nearly two thirds of the way through the book and showed my wife where I was and said "pretty much all of this amount of reading is involved with drug abuse." That, surprisingly, was constant throughout the entire book. It really highlights just how much drugs and alcohol can derail a person's life and really take a hold of them. Above all, as a fellow believer, I am glad that Christian was so unabashed in sharing his faith in the latter chapters of the book. I certainly consider that making the most of his opportunity and platform to share Christ's love.
August 1, 2014
I really liked Hosoi's voice and stories and his honesty ("forgive my stoner memory") and how the book opens with him getting arrested for tafficking meth to Hawaii. There's tons of graphics and photos and book is visually appealing. Hosoi’s 300-page memoir includes more than 100 color and black-and-white images. Even though most of it takes place in the 1980's and 1990's, teens today would still be invested in Hosoi's story. If they haven't heard of him, they've certainly heard of his rival/ friend Tony Hawk (who writes the forward). This would do great in a high school library (maybe even some liberal middle schools) and is perfect for book talks. It's a quick and fascinating read and as a bonus, the cover folds out into a poster.
That said, there are a few red flags here. All but the last 50 pages of the book focuses on the skateboarder junkie part of the subtitle. The final pages offer no explanation of his experience of withdrawal from drugs (he claims he didn’t experience it), and little reflection on the transition to Christ that occurred.
Also, he name drops like crazy and is friends with everyone in the late 80's/ 90's: David Arquette, Ice-T, The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
That said, there are a few red flags here. All but the last 50 pages of the book focuses on the skateboarder junkie part of the subtitle. The final pages offer no explanation of his experience of withdrawal from drugs (he claims he didn’t experience it), and little reflection on the transition to Christ that occurred.
Also, he name drops like crazy and is friends with everyone in the late 80's/ 90's: David Arquette, Ice-T, The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
July 14, 2015
I really enjoyed the first three quarters of the book, it describes Christian growing up, becoming the relaxed skater with an open mind, who's willing to help everyone with everything.
He doesn't over do it, doesn't undersell it. And I love how you get these small peeks in the life of his dad, which seems to be an awesome dude with no predujices and an incredible open mind. This seems to have rubbed off on Chris, who comes over to me as a really nice guy.
After 75% of the book however, (spoiler) Chris converts to Christianity, and the book kinda loses the skateboard feel which I was interested in. I can see that it's part of the story, but it was a bit repeating itself and didn't feel like the free flowing skateboard prodigy anymore. It didn't 'grab' me anymore.
Fine book though, good read, no complaints :-)
He doesn't over do it, doesn't undersell it. And I love how you get these small peeks in the life of his dad, which seems to be an awesome dude with no predujices and an incredible open mind. This seems to have rubbed off on Chris, who comes over to me as a really nice guy.
After 75% of the book however, (spoiler) Chris converts to Christianity, and the book kinda loses the skateboard feel which I was interested in. I can see that it's part of the story, but it was a bit repeating itself and didn't feel like the free flowing skateboard prodigy anymore. It didn't 'grab' me anymore.
Fine book though, good read, no complaints :-)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed skateboarding from 1989 until 2004. (I bought a new deck in 2013 but have not put it together but I would like to try to skate some still). Of course I heard of Hosoi and perhaps had some stickers back in the day, but I'm pretty sure I never had a Hosoi board and I didn't follow him or know anything about his life. Now I do. Of course I bought it mostly because I like reading "spiritual autobiographies" or at least I thought I did.
However, the formula seems to be to go on and on forever about ones decadent lifestyle before becoming a follower of Jesus Christ and then the conversion and "afterwards" so to speak is incredibly brief. I did not find it actually inspiring. In fact 70% of the book was somewhat triggering to the thought or belief he mentions at the end(pg 270,93%); that being bad is cool. Good is not cool.
However, the formula seems to be to go on and on forever about ones decadent lifestyle before becoming a follower of Jesus Christ and then the conversion and "afterwards" so to speak is incredibly brief. I did not find it actually inspiring. In fact 70% of the book was somewhat triggering to the thought or belief he mentions at the end(pg 270,93%); that being bad is cool. Good is not cool.
February 1, 2017
I think I must have missed the peak of Hosoi's fame as I don't remember hearing much about him when I was young, maybe I was just in the Tony Hawk camp back then. Thought it sounded like a good book though, however, I got pretty tired of constantly hearing how awesome he was and how many drugs he did and the amount of girls he pulled etc. It sounds like his mates thought he was a caring guy and I don't dispute that, it just got a bit samey after a while. It's good to hear he turned his life around for the better, it just all happens very abruptly near the end of the book.
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April 21, 2014I liked this book. A lot of my mates as a kid were into Hosoi and really rated him as a skater. It was a good story, but then I love biographies.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was the constant references (in earlier chapters) to all the partying he did and how wasted he was. Obviously his journey into the abyss of addiction is an important aspect of the book, but I thought it was a somewhat over emphasised.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was the constant references (in earlier chapters) to all the partying he did and how wasted he was. Obviously his journey into the abyss of addiction is an important aspect of the book, but I thought it was a somewhat over emphasised.
June 22, 2012
Christian Hosoi is one of the few heroes in my life. It was a true thrill to read this intimate walk through his trials along the road to redemption and peace. Combined with the documentary, "Rising Son: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi," this autobiography allows tremendous insight into the thoughts and actions and the highs and lows of the journey.
Thanks for sharing Mr. Hosoi.
Thanks for sharing Mr. Hosoi.
January 4, 2023
Great nostalgic read for anyone who was born pre 1980 and skateboarded during the mid 80's-early 90's. Christian Hosoi was 'the man' in many kids eyes and the best to ride a board during those days. The authorship is written by a skateboarder that dropped out of school very early to focus on rippin so it is what it is but nonetheless an entertaining read.
April 17, 2014
If you're into sakteboarding, Christianity and faith or.just interested in a great story READ THESE!
the story of Christian hosoi is inspiring not only from a skateboarding point of view, but also in a spiritual way as it details how such a radical improvement can be experienced trough a change in beliefs and faith
the story of Christian hosoi is inspiring not only from a skateboarding point of view, but also in a spiritual way as it details how such a radical improvement can be experienced trough a change in beliefs and faith
June 29, 2012
It's always great to hear about people who have hit rock bottom only to realize it and change their life around. Christian did exactly that and tells all about it in this book. Great read and very inspiring to hear a man talk about his life and being humbled.
September 10, 2012
Not very well written (shocker...he dropped out of school in the 9th grade) and gets really religious towards the end. If you are into 80's skate culture and followed the big names, it would be interesting but other than that, not at all.
May 25, 2013
I read his stories about his life. He had a been hard time to get direction to life bcs he was too famous and will not stick around with a same place. He and I are sort of same thinking... but He is famous than I am. lol. I was read his book about third time. It was a darn book! I love it.
June 26, 2014
An amazing story of the rise, fall and redemption of the greatest skateboarder of his generation, and a Hollywood insider who partied nearly to death before his life took a radical turn. I may be biased, however. I ghost wrote the story. Check it out anyway.
July 27, 2012
Redemption in Christ is awesome.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews