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By the time author David Rensin contacted me regarding the book he was writing about Miki Dora I'd already spoken
to or exchanged emails with several people who were writing books or articles about Miki and his life.
From the story I'd written before Miki's death and the
tribute I'd written after he'd died, it was assumed I knew Miki somewhat. "Somewhat" being the operative word.
What impressed me from the beginning was David's integrity and absolute commitment to somehow capturing Miki and the story of his
remarkably convoluted and sometimes Byzantine life in a book. He wanted it to be a fair, balanced and comprehensive account that reflected the dynamic vitality, complexity and mystery of this enigmatic individual.
In my opinion he not only succeeded in that ambitious quest, but produced a real page turner in the process.
As I said to David at the beginning, "Miki's and my paths crossed several times over the years - both in and out of the water - and each encounter was unforgettable."
In the water, Miki was the most skilled, accomplished and naturally gifted surfer I've ever had the pleasure of seeing on a wave ... and for that he
will always have my deepest respect.
Out of the water, he could be forceful, intelligent, clever, funny, generous, charismatic,
charming and challenging one minute, and confrontational, difficult, disagreeable,
selfish, unpleasant and paranoid the next.
In other words, he was fascinating, totally unknowable, and the most puzzling, unpredictable individual I've ever met.
So, naturally, I was looking forward to seeing what David could make out of Miki's
labyrinth of a life based his own conversations with Miki and after talking with literally hundreds of
Miki's friends, family, acquaintances and enemies.
What he has done is weave all that information - and all those memories, anecdotes, comments, reminiscences,
revelations, facts and fiction - into a seamless account that brings Miki and pivotal events in his life
back to life. As
an extra bonus, the book contains dozens of revealing photos from Miki's
childhood onwards, many of which have never been published before - or
I've never seen before - including the last portraits of Miki taken for a Vogue
Hommes International article by Prosper Keating before Miki's death.
To say I couldn't put the book down would be an understatement. I'm usually a slow reader, but I raced through the book because I couldn't wait to find out where it would take me next.
The funny thing is, my wife - who never met Miki and whose only interest in surfing is through me and the kids - couldn't stop reading it either. When she
finally put the book down all she could say is, "Whew! That was an amazing read ... whether or not you're a surfer or know anything about Miki Dora or even care. Amazing! A genuine tour de force."
Personally, I think I was expecting to simply read a book when I started. But
it ended up as a deeply moving experience that often left me laughing and sometimes led to tears.
The book is rich in information and background I only became aware of when
I read the book. I was constantly surprised - both by the subject's pathos
and the author's ability to express it so poignantly. That
depth of feeling and understanding could only have been achieved by the
author getting to know Miki through their personal encounters as well as
by reading his letters, faxes and other writings - combined with countless
hours of interviews and conversations with the people who knew him best. The
research is impeccable.
Congratulations, David. You've really met the challenge you set for yourself and produced the definitive
biography of the man I will always think of as the "Wavemaster."
It is a truly fascinating book about a fascinating life and legend. 
Photo of the original draft
containing 547,000 words!
* David Rensin is the author of several books, including the #1 LA Times bestseller,
The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up; he's written extensively for
Rolling Stone, Esquire, TV Guide and US Weekly and is a contributing editor to
Playboy. His 1983 California magazine piece -The Legend Lives - is still
considered the most detailed, informative and well researched magazine article ever written on Miki.
Rensin, who surfed in the mid-60's and early-70's, already knew something of the subject. But for the book he
read all the surfing books he could get his hands on, "watched DVDs, read everything about Dora, including piles of his letters and faxes, his articles, his travelogues." He also interviewed "more than 300
people ... drove the length of California ... traveled to his beach haunts in southern France and on the African cape, and called everywhere else in the world where people ride waves."
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