{"product_id":"its-only-drowning-a-true-story-of-learning-to-surf-and-the-search-for-common-ground-david-litt-hardcover","title":"It's Only Drowning: A True Story of Learning to Surf and the Search for Common Ground -- David Litt, Hardcover","description":"\u003cb\u003eAfter moving from Washington, DC, to the Jersey Shore, a former speechwriter for President Obama starts surfing at the age of thirty-five--the rough equivalent of beginning guitar lessons on your deathbed--and must turn for help to the only other surfer he knows: a tattooed, truck-driving, Joe Rogan superfan who happens to be his brother-in-law.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDavid Litt, the Yale-educated writer with a sensible fear of sharks, and Matt, the daredevil electrician with two motorcycles and a passion for death metal, had always coexisted from a comfortable distance as brothers-in-law. Yet in 2021, as David wallowed in existential dread while America's crises piled up, he couldn't help but notice that Matt was thriving. When he wasn't making money rewiring New Jersey beach homes, Matt was riding waves at his favorite spots in the state. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Quietly, David started taking surfing lessons. For a few months, he suffered through wipeouts on waves the height of daffodils. But to his surprise, he soon became obsessed. And once he got a sense of the ways that fully committing to surfing could change him both in the water and on land, he set his sights on an unlikely goal: riding a big wave at Hawaii's famously dangerous North Shore. To get there, he'd need Matt's help. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e At a moment when the fault lines of class, education, and culture threaten to tear our country apart, \u003ci\u003e It's\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e Only Drowning \u003c\/i\u003eis a blueprint for becoming braver at a time when it takes courage just to read the news, a love letter to surfing in the vein of William Finnegan's \u003ci\u003eBarbarian Days\u003c\/i\u003e, and a poignant buddy comedy in the tradition of Bill Bryson's \u003ci\u003eA Walk in the Woods\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e David Litt\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Gallery Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/24\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.13lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.83d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781668035351\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid Litt is the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThanks, Obama\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eDemocracy in One Book or Less\u003c\/i\u003e; and \u003ci\u003eIt's Only Drowning\u003c\/i\u003e. A former senior speechwriter for Barack Obama, described as \"the comic muse for the president\" for his work on the White House Correspondents' Dinner monologues, he has also written for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e The Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Los Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCosmopolitan\u003c\/i\u003e, and more. Along with writing speeches and jokes for political figures, athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, and philanthropists, David was the head writer\/producer at Funny Or Die, DC, and has written and sold comedy pilots for Comedy Central, ABC, and NBC. Raised in New York, he and his wife now split their time between Washington DC, and Asbury Park, New Jersey. Find out more at DavidLittBooks.com.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Litt, David","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46439776518372,"sku":"9781668035351","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0611\/9587\/8628\/files\/9781668035351.jpg?v=1777567426","url":"https:\/\/bookandmortar.com\/products\/its-only-drowning-a-true-story-of-learning-to-surf-and-the-search-for-common-ground-david-litt-hardcover","provider":"BookandMortar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}