Books with title Crazy for the Storm

Dad Said Ollestad, we can do it all. . . . Why do you make me do this? Because it's beautiful when it all comes together. I don't think it's ever beautiful. One day. Never. We'll see, my father said. Vamanos. From the age of three, Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing by the intense, charismatic father he both idolized and resented. While his friends were riding bikes, playing ball, and going to birthday parties, young Norman was whisked away in pursuit of wild and demanding adventures. Yet it were these exhilarating tests of skill that prepared "Boy Wonder," as his father called him, to become a fearless champion--and ultimately saved his life. Flying to a ski championship ceremony in February 1979, the chartered Cessna carrying Norman, his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains and was suspended at 8,200 feet, engulfed in a blizzard. "Dad and I were a team, and he was Superman," Ollestad writes. But now Norman's father was dead, and the devastated eleven-year-old had to descend the treacherous, icy mountain alone. Set amid the spontaneous, uninhibited surf culture of Malibu and Mexico in the late 1970s, this riveting memoir, written in crisp Hemingwayesque prose, recalls Ollestad's childhood and the magnetic man whose determination and love infuriated and inspired him--and also taught him to overcome the indomitable. As it illuminates the complicated bond between an extraordinary father and his son, Ollestad's powerful and unforgettable true story offers remarkable insight for us all.

“Breathtaking....Crazy for the Storm will keep you up late into the night.”—Washington Post Book World Norman Olstead’s New York Times bestselling memoir Crazy for the Storm is the story of the harrowing plane crash the author miraculously survived at age eleven, framed by the moving tale of his complicated relationship with his charismatic, adrenaline-addicted father. Destined to stand with other classic true stories of man against nature—Into Thin Air and Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer; Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm—it is a literary triumph that novelist Russell Banks (Affliction) calls, “A heart-stopping story beautifully told….Norman Olstead has written a book that may well be read for generations.”

Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing at a very young age by the father he idolized. Often paralyzed by fear, young Norman resented losing his childhood to his father's reckless and demanding adventures, even as he began to reap the rewards of his training.Then, in February 1979, a chartered Cessna carrying eleven-year-old Norman, his father, his father's girlfriend Sandra and the pilot, crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains. Norman's father -- a man who was both his son's coach and hero -- was dead, along with the pilot; Sandra was clinging to life. Suspended at over 8,000 feet and engulfed in a blizzard, grief-stricken Norman descended the icy mountain alone. Putting his father's passionate lessons to work, he defied the elements and made it down alive -- the sole survivor of the crash.A compulsive, page-turning read, at times nostalgic and heart-wrenching,Crazy for the Stormilluminates the complicated bond between an extraordinary father and his son, and offers remarkable insight to us all.

From the age of three, Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing by the intense, charismatic father he both idolized and resented. Yet it was these exhilarating tests of skill that prepared "Boy Wonder," as his father called him, to become a fearless champion—and ultimately saved his life. Flying to a ski championship ceremony in February 1979, the chartered Cessna carrying Norman, his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains and was suspended at 8,200 feet, engulfed in a blizzard. Norman's father was dead, and the devastated eleven-year-old had to descend the treacherous, icy mountain alone. Set amid the spontaneous, uninhibited surf culture of Malibu and Mexico in the late 1970s, this riveting memoir recalls Ollestad's childhood and the magnetic man whose determination and love infuriated and inspired him—and also taught him to overcome the indomitable. As it illuminates the complicated bond between an extraordinary father and his son, Ollestad's powerful and unforgettable true story offers remarkable insight for us all.

From the age of three, Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing by the intense, charismatic father he both idolized and resented. Yet it was these exhilarating tests of skill that prepared "Boy Wonder," as his father called him, to become a fearless champion—and ultimately saved his life. Flying to a ski championship ceremony in February 1979, the chartered Cessna carrying Norman, his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains and was suspended at 8,200 feet, engulfed in a blizzard. Norman's father was dead, and the devastated eleven-year-old had to descend the treacherous, icy mountain alone. Set amid the spontaneous, uninhibited surf culture of Malibu and Mexico in the late 1970s, this riveting memoir recalls Ollestad's childhood and the magnetic man whose determination and love infuriated and inspired him—and also taught him to overcome the indomitable. As it illuminates the complicated bond between an extraordinary father and his son, Ollestad's powerful and unforgettable true story offers remarkable insight for us all.

Due to lack of public awareness of the mentally ill and underfunded and under-supported programs at community and national levels, Peggy Mercer, in conjunction with ML Wilson Publishing LLC of Gainesville, Florida, launched a series of stories about a schizophrenic character named Bogg Rivers. This book, The Crazy Stories, collects the series and adds additional tales, for an eye-opening read about this critical health issue. Of the series, at least four previously published, were named to the elite Amazon bestseller lists in the categories of Health, Mind and Body and Teens and YA. Their literary value in de-stigmatizing mental illness in America is incalculable. Mental illness touches every family and every community. When blood is shed by a mentally ill person, who lives without treatment or intervention, the blood is on a society which refuses to assist the mentally ill. If there are teenagers, advanced middle school readers, and young adults in your home and school please urge them to read these stories and discuss mental illness. If you are a teacher, please make this collection required reading. If you are a psychiatric nurse or mental health counselor, enjoy. “Mentally ill people are children of God, just like normal folks are. I am taking up their fight through these stories and if words have power, then we’ll get something done!” –Peggy Mercer

Charlie's Dad tells Charlie a story that's so crazy that Charlie jumps up and down, spins around, holds his breath and all sorts of other crazy things. Kid's will love doing these crazy things with Charlie (NOT a bedtime story!), and parents will love the surprise ending that show's that Charlie's Dad can outsmart Charlie (and that Charlie is good natured about it). The delightful line drawings are simple but expressive, inviting kid's to use their imagination to fill in the framework of the scene.The target audience for this book is advanced four year olds through seven year olds.16 pages.