How a hardscrabble shoemaker from New England defied expectations and invented the ultimate Southern California lifestyle brand: Vans. Paul Van Doren never skateboarded, surfed, snowboarded, or flipped a BMX bike, but his simple, rubber-soled sneaker from 1966 has been at the heart of the global action-sports movement for half a century. This is the candid, comedic, and occasionally tragic portrait of Paul and his company, some of the world-renowned athletes he inspired, and the hard lessons he's learned along the way, including why you must NEVER CATCH PIGEONS.