Review of A Boy His Surfboard and the Storm

[Hubre De Klerk]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Boy His Surfboard and the Storm" by Cheri Kane.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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During high-stress and traumatic times, especially when we have no control, we struggle to cope. We lose our faith and question God as we don't understand the 'why' and 'how' behind what happened or is happening. It is hard to keep believing when everything you have is lost or the one person closest to your heart dies. This was the case with a mother who loves the ocean, but during a terrible storm, that ocean she loved so much ripped the most important person from her, her sixteen-year-old son, Jaren.
 
On December 13th, 1995, the most anticipated rainstorm hit the Southern California coast. Jaren and three of his friends decided that they would conquer the massive waves that this storm promised to bring. The boys went into the ocean anticipating the exhilarating stories they would tell at school the next day about crushing these colossal waves, but their outing turned in the opposite direction. The water was stronger than they anticipated, and Jaren was swept into the ocean with no return. His friends could see him from the shore, but it was already dusk, and once darkness hit, the real panic set in.
 
In this heartfelt and emotional book, we experience two sides of this story. An anguished mom is scouring up and down the coast in search of her missing son, struggling with her faith but keeping up the façade as she doesn’t want others to stop believing that her son would return safely or give up on him. The other side is from Jaren himself. We get a thrill as he did entering those waves; we feel his anxiety when he starts to realize his mistake, his fear of being out there in the open ocean alone, tossed around by vicious waves, and the utter darkness.
 
Early on in the book, we learn that Jaren made it out, so this isn’t a spoiler, but to learn what everyone, especially he and his mother, went through is a whole different experience. The way her faith was explained in this book and how she was losing it made this book even more real and relatable. I don’t think there is anyone who wouldn’t have questioned their faith if they were in a similar situation. This book is for anyone who believes in God or is open to even the possibility of Him. This book definitely touched my own faith, as I know mine isn’t perfect or always all-believing.
 
One of my favorite aspects of this book was the author’s way of describing things and how she saw the ocean. Through her words, I could see this powerful mass that was so much stronger than us and so unpredictable. I also enjoyed the newspaper clippings at the end of the book. There was nothing I disliked about this book, and I only found one error that proves that it has been professionally edited. I would rate A Boy His Surfboard and the Storm by Cheri Kane a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

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A Boy His Surfboard and the Storm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Kigen Valarie]

When I began reading this review I thought Jaren would eventually die but I'm thankful he managed to survive. I'd love to read about this story as it almost sounds like a book I read about a girl that fell overboard.

[Ivana_5]

Surfboard lost on the ocean storm. There was a dramatic story about faith, survives on difficult situation, very stressful situation. Book say us how protect your faith when loses everything. Teach us how we survive difficult situation. I recommend everyone why loses faith of life.

[Okocha Victor]

"During high-stress and traumatic times, especially when we have no control, we struggle to cope. We lose our faith and question God as we don't understand the 'why' and 'how' behind what happened or is happening. It is hard to keep believing when everything you have is lost, or the one person closest to your heart dies. " This statement had me. I totally agree with you. What more can we do than hope?

[Hubre De Klerk]

When I began reading this review I thought Jaren would eventually die but I'm thankful he managed to survive. I'd love to read about this story as it almost sounds like a book I read about a girl that fell overboard.

This was a really gripping and emotional read, and even knowing that he made it, the emotional rollercoaster of reading firsthand the mother and the son's feelings and thoughts shook me!

[Hubre De Klerk]

"During high-stress and traumatic times, especially when we have no control, we struggle to cope. We lose our faith and question God as we don't understand the 'why' and 'how' behind what happened or is happening. It is hard to keep believing when everything you have is lost, or the one person closest to your heart dies. " This statement had me. I totally agree with you. What more can we do than hope?

Hope is most times all we have in the end, and once you lose that, you have nothing.