David Litt makes his living writing humor for those who need to deliver it— as a speechwriter for President Obama, for Fortune 500 CEOs, and others. He has written other books and television pilots. He is obviously liberal, representative of blue America. When feeling unmotivated and depressed during the Trump 1.0 Administration and covid, when online therapy was not solving his mood issue, he noticed that his brother-in-law Matt was doing well. Matt is as electrician, fitness-oriented, Joe Rogan fan, and a lifelong surfer on the Jersey shore. David and his wife, based in Washington, DC, spent much of their covid time at their Asbury Park cottage. Maybe surfing would help David’s viewpoint, and build a relationship with Matt? The premise of the book is a humorous journey as nonathletic, overthinking David tries to take on this pursuit, while trying to remain open to a deeper connection with Matt.

Could David suspend his worldview long enough to get to know Matt, and share this adventure? The reader will learn a great deal about surfing, which enjoys a lively subculture in Jersey, year round for the hardcore devotees. It is dangerous in a multitude of ways, both how the waves can kick you around, hold you down so you cannot get a breath, get hit by your own or others’ boards, get tangled in your board leash, and then there are sharks and poisonous jellyfish. The act of surfing itself is one not for the faint of heart, and not for the overthinker. Yoda has relevant thoughts here: “Do or do not. There is no try.” and “The greatest teacher, failure is.” While Matt has the necessary spirit of rapid commitment, also known as courage, David does not come by this naturally. Sitting back and analyzing one’s options means never actually surfing, and probably surfing poorly. David learns a bit about himself, which is encouraging.

David also learns that a relationship can be built through shared pursuit and activity, through doing, and sticking to neutral ground. What he fails to learn to do is employ true empathy. When he second guesses Matt’s thinking, he repeatedly fails miserably, a good lesson for liberals. For those liberals who imagine all conservatives are xenophobic, racist, and bigoted, this is a failure of true empathy, the ability to see the world from another’s viewpoint, and instead insist conservatives are wrong-headed at best, and terrible people at worst, is very much the reason for the yawning chasm in our world. While David does not reach this level of appreciation for Matt’s viewpoint during the book’s arc, one is left with hope that he may make it in the future.

Liberals seem to be more emotive, risk-averse, and unwilling to suspend their assumptions long enough to consider a different way of seeing how things should work. The thing is, conservatives are usually not born— they often started life as youthful, idealistic liberals. They made the journey to conservatism when meeting the real world at its challenges and problems. As their knowledge and life experience grew, their morality and judgement matured. Most conservatives have a pretty good sense of liberals’ mindset, having once been there— Joe Rogan is exhibit A. Liberals tend to fail at the empathy test, refusing to see another way, demonizing the other with all sorts of condemnations. If you are conservative, you have felt the sting of pointless accusations.

David reveals more about his intellectual limitations than he realizes in this book. He is obviously intelligent and very funny. How much better it could have been, if he could have suspended his assumptions long enough to truly appreciate the world as seen by Matt and others of the conservative side. I give him some credit for trying. David, try harder. Enjoyable book, though, for this Jersey girl.