Gidget

by Frederick Kohner

Book Overview

A surfing, boy-crazy teenager comes of age in the summer of 1957 in this classic novel that inspired both movies and television and created an American pop culture icon. "My English comp teacher Mr. Glicksberg says if you want to be a writer you have to--quote--sit on a window sill and get all pensive and stuff and jot down descriptions. Unquote Glicksberg I don't know what kind of things he writes but I found my inspiration in Malibu with a radio,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425179621
• ISBN13: 9780425179628
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable

It was not what I remembered from the original book but I enjoyed it.

Fun, Fun, Fun

It's true this is not a work of a profound and philosophical nature. On the other hand, it is a fun and quick read. The fact that it is at least loosely based on the life of Kathy Kohner and that it was written by her father, who picked up some ideas for the book by eavesdropping on her telephone conversations, only adds to the enjoyment. The beach culture/counterculture presented in this book ushered in not only the Gidget movies but also all of the beach-oriented movies from the early and mid-60s. It's easy enough for anyone who recalls being a teenager to identify with at least some of the teenage angst contained within Gidget. If you're looking for a light, sunny read on a dark winter's day or at any other time, give it a chance.

Don't judge a book by its... movie?

When my mother thrust Gidget at me about ten years ago, I shuddered. My only experience with the perky California teen was the movie (no dis intended to fans of the flick). Frederick Kohner's novel is a whole other ball of wax (board wax, natch!). While not particularly deep or philosophical, this novel is a delightful coming-of-age story.Gidget's trials and tribulations convey all the horror, delight, confusion, and wonder of the teen years, from finding a pastime for which she has a passion (surfing), to the exultation, heartache (and, again, exultation) of her first real crush.As Gidget takes the reader along on the magical summer of her fifteenth year, she also provides an in-depth tour of the California surf culture in the mid to late 1950s. Every sub-culture has its own lingo, and Kohner gives the reader a colorful, entertaining look at what has become an American Icon: the professional beach bum.Each time I reread my faded, old copy of Gidget, I prayed that it would hold together for one more perusal. Imagine my delight when I found that it had been reissued! It may not be Shakespeare, but Kohner's "bitchen" novel is a classic of American pop culture!

Gidget, Women's Rights Pioneer

When Gidget (Kathy Kohner) entered the all-male world of surfing as a 15 year old teenager in the summer of 1956, she was unknowingly making an early statement for Women's Lib and was opening up surfing to all those female surfers who followed her. This book is the entertaining story of this courageous young girl and should be recommended reading for teenage girls everywhere!

A Wonderful Book

This is a wonderful book! I read it in just two days! You feel as if Gidget is speaking to you... she's telling you her story. It's a fab story about a teenage girl living in the 50's, although the book is so timeless it can actually take place in any year! Just a really great book, and you have to read it to see what I mean!

This is a book to remember

I read this book when I was a teenager, and have hung on to it for 30 years! It is definitely one of my favorite "feel good" books. Gidget is the type of girl that every red blooded American teenage girl wants to be. She lives the kind of life that most of us dream about. The sand and surf of Malibu Beach come alive in this book. Moondoggie, and the other surfers are really fun to read about, and get to know. This book is recommended as a great summer read for teenagers, and adults. I am so glad to see that it has been released again for an entire new generation to read and enjoy. It is great fun!