About the Author

Damien Cave has worked for the NYT since 2004. He and his wife Diana were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting in 2008 with a team in Baghdad, when covering the Iraq war. Australian Bureau Chief since 2017, he’s travelled the country and interviewed many well-known people; he also covered the Christchurch shootings in New Zealand. He lives in Sydney with his wife and two children.

Reviews

‘Into the Rip is a beautiful tale of one family trying to figure things out – and, at the same time, a brilliant synthesis of a century of psychological science on how all of us can learn to dive headfirst into challenges, grow and adapt, and ultimately do well in life.’ 
*Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit*

‘Damien Cave does an excellent job of deconstructing the phenomenon of trauma and risk to understand why some people are more vulnerable than others. His experience in war zones must have given him crucial insights into the topic.’ 
*Sebastian Junger, author of Tribe, War, Fire, The Perfect Storm.*

‘The inspiring, hilarious story of how Damien Cave became a life-saver – only to find that the life he saved was his own.’ 
*Richard Glover*

'It often takes a stranger’s eyes to see our own country clearly. By plunging into the Sydney surf, Damien Cave peered into the Australian soul. What he found there – courage, grit, community – is welcome news when our lives and our core values have never seemed so precarious.'
*Geraldine Brooks, bestselling author of March and The People of the Book*

'Cave’s viewfinder – the notion of risk – is perfect for our times. He also offers the hope that one day, we will rediscover the necessity and rewards of looking outwards, of taking a few more risks again. (And does he get us? Yes, I reckon he does.)'
*Malcolm Knox*

'Into the Rip is an illuminating parenting guide, a takedown of America's self-esteem industrial complex and a deep study of contrasts between the Australian and American minds. It made even a wimp like me consider heading into the sea.'
*Pamela Druckerman, author of New York Times bestseller Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting*

'Into the Rip is absolutely terrific. It’s a gripping story that gets the science of risk right. I haven’t seen any other writings about my work and the study or risk that are like this, integrated with a powerful story well told.'
*Paul Slovic, author of Perception of Risk, founder and President of Decision Research and Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon*

'A thrilling examination of self and family, risk and reward, failure and triumph, in ways both big and small. Cave’s vivid exploration of risk-taking told through the ages mixed with his own experiences as a parent, partner, and perspicacious journalist will make you devour this book – and then slam it shut, look inside yourself, and want to be a better person.'
*Dionne Searcey, author of In Pursuit of Difficult Women*

'Absolutely genuine. A lively mix of history, philosophy, science, reportage – and an honest, heartfelt memoir of the joys and miseries of parenting. I learned a lot from it.'
*Dan Kois, author of How to be a Family and the host of Slate’s podcast, Mom and Dad are Fighting*

'Damien Cave’s Into the Rip is many books in one – a beautiful memoir of his family’s years living in Australia, a deeply reported exploration of how we approach risk, pain and safety in the 21st century, and a sometimes painful examination of American life and American assumptions. Even if everyone doesn’t end up surfing in the South Pacific after reading this book, they will be convinced of something much more important: that changing the way we live today is possible, necessary, exhilarating.'
*Suzy Hansen, author of Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in a Post-American World*

‘When Damien Cave, an American war correspondent, was transplanted to Australia, he spoke the language but found the country to be a fundamentally foreign place. The ultimate risk to your identity may be to fall in love with another, or another culture. Cave has done both and is now living a larger life with deeper connections — Into the Rip is his big-hearted account of a wild and wonderful ride.’
*Anna Funder, author of All That I Am and Stasiland*