Crazy for the Storm

On my way back from Westport a few weeks ago, I picked up a copy of Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollestad. The book chronicles Ollestad's decent of an 8,000ft mountain after the plane his father had chartered crashed, killing both the pilot and his father. Ollestad was only 11 years old. Additionally, the book highlights Ollestad's formative years living in the counterculture paradise of Topanga Canyon, and his "larger-than-life" father who pushed him to excel in a number of athletic endeavors, including surfing and competitive downhill skiing. Written more than 30 years after the fact, Ollestad's memoir is a stark reminder that anything can happen and that mental toughness is essential to survival.