Read by Joe Barrett

In 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his longtime friend and surfing companion, Christopher, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Christopher's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, and the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend. Along the way, he shares hilarious stories of his adventures with Christopher in their carefree youth as globetrotting, pot-dealing beach bums. A tale of lost innocence and enduring friendship, In Search of Captain Zero is a trip unlike any other. "A subtly affecting tale of friendship and duty. [It] deserves a spot on the microbus dashboard as a hell of a cautionary tale about finding paradise and smoking it away." "A memoir with the feel of a road novel…in which the truth-a chill of regret and loneliness-steals in like the first fall breeze after a summer that has, after all, ended." "These gut-wrenching tales will make your heart race as if a coke-filled balloon popped in your belly." Weisbecker's crowning achievement is the ability to reflect some of surfing's more subtle elements to the mainstream without alienating the core reader, making this one of the more accessible and enjoyable tales for both audiences. "[A] lovely personal reflection that mixes the right amount of dreamy meditation with page-turning allure…Weisbecker clearly delights in storytelling as much as he enjoys language itself…[Rich] imagery with a balance of pathos and humor make Weisbecker's account very worthwhile reading." "Enchanting…[Weisbecker's] adventures are as thrilling and as entertaining as any fictional road trip could ever hope to be…This memoir is, like any good autobiography, a journey to the place where memories live, an adventure of the mind."

Mode of access: World Wide Web