The Concrete Wave: The History of Skateboarding

by Michael Brooke

Traces the development of the sport and its equipment, and includes profiles and photographs of top-notch skaters through the years

Genres: Sports

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Seaver Keitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One day in 1963 a group of skaters were standing around Gary Swanson’s pool in California wondering who would be the first one to take the plunge. The pool measured 9 feet deep, but it looked like 20. Suddenly, one of the skaters gathered up the guts and dropped into the pool, and just like that skating would never be the same. Stories like this one make Michael Brooke’s The Concrete Wave a thrilling and unique history of skateboarding. Unlike many generic history books, The Concrete Wave grabs the reader's attention through literary elements such as profiles, interviews, and the presentation of the history of the sport from a variety of perspectives.The profiles in the book give the reader an idea of the contributions and relevance that certain key figures have had in the history of skating. For example, the profile of Rodney Mullen (Brooke, 108-9) conveys how he brought a new bag of tricks to freestyle skating including the ollie, a foundational move that paved the way for the shuv-it and the kickflip. The interviews give a personal feel to the book through a variety of first-person points of view. The interview with Tony Alva (Brooke, 78-9), for example, gives a timeline of his skating career in his own words, which adds a relatable tone to the section. Finally, the book gives many different perspectives on the story of skating, from the surfers who basically invented the earliest models of skateboards (Brooke, 22-3), to the manufacturers who went through all the ups and downs of the skateboarding industry (Brooke, 128-31), and also the designers that made skating a key part of modern-day fashion (Brooke, 80,113). In conclusion, Michael Brookes The Concrete Wave is a highly readable book that appeals to readers of all ages, especially skaters and surfers.

[Kyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sportsbook review
Concrete wave the history of skateboarding written by Micheal Brooke.
200 pages
Lexile 790
The boo concrete wave is a great book about the very early history of skateboarding.this book covers skateboarding from 1950-1999. This book is all about the history and the culture of skating. I learned that the first mass-produced skateboard in the 1960s would cost about 60 us dollars by today’s standards.skateboards also typically were about 27 by 6 to 7 inches, while the modern skateboard is at smallest 7 by 30 and that they can get as big as 9 by 33 inches. skateboarding used to be illegal in lots of places and that the first skate park was all bowls and created in the 70s. Skateboards. I also learned that skaters would skate barefoot.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book I would look for first every time my family went to the library growing up.

[Josh Tudor]

A wealth of history on one of the most fun sport/hobby/recreational activities of all time. New School or Old School, this book represents the roots, the history, and the wonderfully meandering direction of Skateboarding. A must have selection for skaters and non-skaters alike. I'll bet those non-skater readers will end up as skaters. From bad boys to businessmen, zero gravity aerial lovers to flatland tricksters, all will get a kick out of this. The pictures alone are worth a million bucks, the text adds another million! Own this book.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed and exhaustive record of skateboarding’s story from the 1960s pioneers who nailed metal wheels to planks of wood through to the millennium where it had become an established global movement. An excellent and highly readable account of how the sport first rose to prominence and the technological advances that allowed it to evolve and prosper. From early leaps forward like the development of clay to urethane wheels, to the crossover with surfing culture and advancements in vert and street skating, it’s mainly focused on the US but it diligently catalogues every side of the sport.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another cool book about skateboarding history that tells you about the history of famous skaters and the different types of skateboards that they have in the history of skateboarding. Its good for projects.

[Ben Welsh]

This book was great! I'm very knowledgeable in the history of skateboarding so this book was a perfect read for me. The facts were great and right on with the stories and bioghraphies. I would recommend this book to anyone but mostly to someone who knows a little bit about the skateboarding world.

[Laura Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn about famous skaters and manufacturers of boards, shoes, and clothes. There is also a listing of skate parks. Great color photos!

[Terry Huffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a good book knowing that i love to skate

[Dj Colter · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is mostly skateing pics and who made what brands like alien workshop and blind,foundation,mc gills,atm,baker,powell,toy machine,girl,enjoi,speed demon,long boards,and old school boards

[Taj B]

good book im reading it

[Seth E]

Gnarly bruh!

[Sipiwe]

It was a good book. :)

[Sipiwe]

pick skate book up and read it. This is amazing book