From Pomona to Oakland, how a skater mapped California block by block from his board
By José Vadi Soft Skull Press: 256 pages, $26 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.
José Vadi’s “Chipped: Writing From a Skateboarder’s Lens” is, literally, a collection of essays. But it’s also a map of Vadi’s personal California.
From Pomona, where he was raised, to the Bay Area, where he lived until recently, “Chipped” charts the state’s urban spaces as seen from the back of a board, a network of routes traced block by block by block. Vadi’s vision of the neighborhoods is granular.
“Off I went down Broadway and towards the bike lanes connecting Rockridge with neighboring Temescal, from 51st to 40th streets,” he writes of one skate session. “Responding to every crack, car, stop sign, smell, and sound around me.”
Making its Olympic debut, skateboarding brought joy and expression to the forefront of the Games, showcasing freedom, creativity and individuality.
