Press Kit

Book Details

Little Giant: The Story of Aruba’s Surf Shop and the Rebels Who Built It by Marcia Heath

RELEASE DATE: August 13, 2024

INTERVIEWS AND MEDIA INQUIRIES: Marcia Heath, 970.217.9695, marcia@littlegiantbook.com

Key Messages

Redefining Success: Sometimes the boldest move isn’t climbing higher up the ladder…it’s building your own.
The Friendship Advantage: In an age of unprecedented loneliness, this true story underscores what science has discovered: People with strong social connections live longer, happier lives.
Universal Journey: Whether you’re questioning your career path or seeking creative fulfillment, the book shows it’s never too late to build something uniquely yours.
Dual Value: Part Caribbean escapism, part practical blueprint, Little Giant is a fun, engaging narrative about making bold life changes.

Documentary Film

The Little Giant documentary is currently in production, featuring interviews with local artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, and community members whose lives have been touched by Bula Surf Shop. Anticipated release in late 2025.

Reader Impact

“Just finished reading this book and can’t say enough good about it… I was expecting a story about a surf shop in Aruba. The story is so much more.” —Verified Amazon Reader

“I wish there were more books like this…it reminded me of Tuesdays with Morrie.” —P. Millerd

“This book gave me a renewed commitment to my own most cherished dreams.” —Kathy F.

“How would our whole world be different if we put friendship first?” —Dean T.

“A deeply human story about what happens when people truly love each other.” —Mickey G.

Short Description

Little Giant by Marcia Heath chronicles the inspirational true story of David Putnam and Yair Lichtenstein, two trailblazers who abandoned conventional careers to pursue an audacious dream in Aruba—with no backup plan or guarantee of success. Long before the era of digital nomads, their twenty-year entrepreneurial adventure reveals real-world lessons about taking intelligent risks and designing a life on your own terms.

Blending memoir, biography, and psychological insights, Marcia Heath captures how their unconventional choices inspired her own transformation from burnt-out executive to author. This engrossing tale offers surprising takeaways about authentic living and redefining success.

Little Giant is for aspiring entrepreneurs, career changers, and anyone seeking the inspiration to reimagine their future.

Long Description

The world celebrates doers from dreamers.

Little Giant by Marcia Heath celebrates two rare individuals who are both, offering an uplifting blueprint for living with more joy and authenticity in an age of burnout.

College buddies David Putnam and Yair Lichtenstein appeared to have it all—advanced degrees, prestigious careers, and bright futures. But they were living someone else’s idea of a great life. Heath recounts their bold leap from the rat race to an audacious dream on the idyllic shores of Aruba, starting Bula Surf Shop in 2003 with three radically simple rules: stay best friends, have fun, and do something good.

As self-made entrepreneurs with no retail experience and no backup plan, they faced dark moments of personal doubt and financial worries. More than once, Bula’s survival hung in the balance, but the shop thrived on word-of-mouth referrals and an exceptionally loyal customer base. From hilarious rookie mistakes to personal and business breakthroughs, Little Giant traces how David and Yair defied long odds to turn a nondescript storefront into a beloved iconic brand that’s the heart of island culture.

Blending biography, memoir, and insights from social science, Heath reveals how David and Yair’s unconventional mindset inspired her own transition from burnt-out executive to finding her creative calling as a writer. The book offers uncommon wisdom on intelligent risk-taking, the power of community, and the benefits of choosing to be great, not big.

“Their story proves that success doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your passions or relationships,” says Heath. “Bula became more than just a surf shop—it’s a testament to living life on your own terms.”

Little Giant is for anyone questioning their career choices or seeking to build something uniquely their own. Part Caribbean escapism, part practical guide for bold life changes, this book demonstrates that it’s never too late to step off the expected path and create the life that matters to you. This uplifting true story will inspire readers to reimagine their future and pursue their own dreams with passion and purpose.

About the Author

Short Bio

Marcia Heath, author of Little Giant, is the founder of Bungalow Hill, where she helps publicity-shy creative people harness the power of storytelling. A former publicist at Simon & Schuster and an executive editor at Harcourt, she spent two+ decades in brand marketing and strategic planning at start-ups, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 subsidiaries. Heath holds a degree in English Literature from Mount Holyoke College and lives just outside Belfast, Maine.

Long Bio

Marcia Heath, author of Little Giant, understands the courage it takes to step off the expected path. After two decades in book publishing and corporate branding, she is now an independent editor, writer, and founder of Bungalow Hill, a solo shop that helps publicity-phobic creatives promote their worth and their work.

A former publicist at Simon & Schuster and executive editor at Harcourt, Heath has extensive experience in communications and strategic planning across start-ups, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 subsidiaries. She’s fascinated by true stories about quietly exceptional people who defy the odds of success, exactly like the heroes of her first book, Little Giant.

At a low point in her own career, Heath discovered David and Yair’s story and found the courage to finally pursue her own deferred dreams as a writer. Their journey became her catalyst, proving it’s never too late to reimagine your future, whether you’re 25 or 65.

Heath earned a degree in English Literature from Mount Holyoke College and attended the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course. She lives just outside Belfast, Maine, with her husband and their overly affectionate Boykin Spaniel.