Ollestad was born in 1968 and grew up in wild times. I just finished a riveting book tonight, called crazy for the storm, by norman ollestad. Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. Carolyn see a heartstopping story beautifully told norman ollestad has written a book that may well be read for generations. A memoir of survival norman ollestad, 2009 harpercollins 288 pp. Washington post book world norman olsteads new york times bestselling memoir crazy for the storm is the. Crazy for the storm by norman ollestad audiobook listen. This then is a short account of the unmaking of a hero, and the first half covers his rather intimidating, martial indoctrination via a series of pollyannaish lectures about patriotism, virtue, celibacy and the communist menace. Norman olsteads 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. In crazy for the storm, norman ollestad revisits an adrenaline. Ollestad s writing has received extraordinary praise from the new york times to entertainment weekly, and has won admiration from esteemed voices including russell banks, jim harrison, susan cheever, and carolyn see, and invited comparisons to tobias wolff and jon krakauer. A companion piece to crazy for the storm, writing gravity was a lifechanging book for me.
One of the best books of the past few years was crazy for the storm. Norman ollestad recounts his unusual upbringing and how he had to rely on his earlier experiences and lessons taught by his dad in order to survive on the. And everyone elseshare this harrowing and luminous story with someone special in your life. Crazy for the storm a memoir of survival by norman ollestad set amid the spontaneous, uninhibited surf culture of malibu and mexico in the late 1970s, this riveting book, written in crisp hemingwayesque prose, recalls ollestads childhood and the magnetic man whose determination and love infuriated and inspired him and also taught him to overcome the indomitable. The story told by norman ollestad in crazy for the storm is tragic and. The book is indeed a memoir of a young boys harrowing.
Breathtakingcrazy for the storm will keep you up late into the night. A few weeks ago, i was at a swim meet, and one of the dads. The story told by norman ollestad in crazy for the storm is tragic and exotic. In scene after scene, these images beg to be savored, yet. Anton, austria where, as a boy, i spent a lot of time skiing with my father, and where, for the first time as a young man, i finally faced the pain of losing him. In crazy for the storm, norman ollestad revisits an. The book alternates between a detailed account of the plane crash.
Ollestad s portraits are beautifully contradictory and complexbrutal, brave, and humanand the book is filled with wonderful dramatic moments. Norman ollestad s memoir has so many things going for it im not even quite sure where to begin. Crazy for the storm by norman ollestad is a autobiography. Crazy for the storm a memoir of survival by norman ollestad set amid the spontaneous, uninhibited surf culture of malibu and mexico in the late 1970s, this riveting book, written in crisp. Crazy for the storm voted top 10 best books of the year by amazon. Ollestad calls the crazy for the storm a tribute to his gregarious and charismatic father. The chapters alternate between his time on the mountain after the plane crash and his life leading up to that point. Norman ollestad was an earnest young california attorney when he decided to dedicate his life to fighting crime and subversion. Crazy for the storm by norman ollestad book read online scribd. Lucinda franks, pulitzer prize winning author as much a thriller as a memoir gorgeously written, perfectly controlled.
An engrossing story of adventure, survival and psychological exploration. Crazy for the storm, a memoir of survival norman ollestad. Read crazy for the storm by norman ollestad for free with a 30 day free trial. In his memoir of the same name, ollestad credits his survival of this horrific occurrence to his father, a former fbi agent who had urged his son. Crazy for the storm norman ollestad, author, norman ollestad, read by, read by the author. In scene after scene, these images beg to be savored, yet they drive the story forward with tremendous force. A memoir of survival 2009 by norman ollestad july, 2010 summary. Ollestad calls crazy for the storm a tribute to his father. Ollestad hits several notes that should make his memoir irresistible to those looking for pageturning but thoughtprovoking summer.
Sonsgive a copy of crazy for the storm to your fathers. From the age of 3, norman was groomed for competitive extreme sports by his father. He was joined by his father norman and his fathers girlfriend sandra. Jun 12, 2009 theres a photo on the back jacket of norman ollestads memoir, crazy for the storm. I grew up in a similar fashion in central california, skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding at tahoe and mammoth. This book takes place in the 1970s, which is also an autobiography of the author norman ollestad. Ollestads writing has received extraordinary praise from the new york times to. At the age of eleven, he was the only survivor of a plane crash that claimed the life of his father. Washington post book world norman olsteads new york times bestselling memoir crazy for the storm is the story of the. Norman ollestad is the author of the 2009 bestseller crazy for the storm. Set amid the wild uninhibited surf culture of malibu and mexico in the late 1970s, crazy for the storm is a fascinating memoir that was hard to put down. But its the way that norman ollestad tells his tale that makes crazy for the storm a memoir that will last. Jun 02, 2009 in crazy for the storm, his debut effort, norman ollestad combines idyllic imagery with spare, deeply passionate prose in capturing an 11yearolds recollection of the most pivotal year of his life the year before the fateful plane crash that would change everything. Washington post book world crazy for the storm is an absolutely compelling book which i read in one long sitting.
Jun 14, 2009 norman ollestad was blessed or was it cursed. From the age of 3, norman was groomed for competitive extreme sports by his. Hes a writer, and his book about his father and the plane crash is crazy. Ollestad, 41, was thrust into the world of surfing and competi. In his memoir of the same name, ollestad credits his survival of this horrific occurrence to his father, a former fbi.
Norman, who is the main character, is a strong willed, ignorant teen who adores outdoors. Crazy for the storm by norman ollestad houston chronicle. He wrote about it in his 2009 bestseller crazy for the storm. A bold and daring report by a former agent of the federal bureau of investigation. Later he joined the fbi, but soon grew disillusioned with j. Norman ollestad born may 30, 1967 is an american author. A photo of the elder ollestad surfing with his oneyearold son strapped to his back captures the essence of the authors relationship with norman sr. He chased the hurricanes and blizzards to touch the bliss of riding mighty waves and deep powder snow. 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. Crazy for the storm is an absolutely compelling book which i read in one long sitting. Crazy for the storm by norman ollestad clocks in as an exceptional memoir of a father and son. The fact that its true made me shudder, but then norman ollestad is a fine writer and every detail is convincing.
Crazy for the storm will tell the story of norman ollestad, who survived a plane crash that left him stranded and alone on atop 8,600foot san gabriel mountains in a blizzard at the tender age of 11. Crazy for the storm breathtakingcrazy for the storm will keep you up late into the night. Crazy for the storm by norman ollestad clocks in as an. The elder norman ollestad, an attorney and former child actor, wanted his son to reach beyond physical fear and into ecstasy, to a place where danger melted into bliss. Edgar hoover and wrote a book called inside the fbi, which did not endear him to his former employers. Crazy for the storm is a compelling memoir that reads just like a novel. In 70s socal, a kid is caught between admiration and resentment for his charming, athletic father. Fbi agent and attorney, and firstclass thrill seeker pushes first. Love this book, will probably read it again after some time. In crazy for the storm, his debut effort, norman ollestad combines idyllic imagery with spare, deeply passionate prose in capturing an 11yearolds recollection of the most pivotal year of his life the year before the fateful plane crash that would change everything. But its the way that norman ollestad tells his tale that makes crazy for the storm a. Crazy for the storm by norman ollestad was an interesting book. Ollestad was an elevenyear old boy when his plane crashed in the san gabriel mountains in 1979, losing his father in the crash and the book is not only riveting tale of his survival, but of his own special relationship with his father. A tough childhood, through two divorces, it was easy for me to relate to norman s experience.
Nowhere is this idea more dramatically portrayed than in norman ollestads moving memoir, crazy for the storm. A memoir of survivalnorman ollestad on february 19, 1979, eleven yearold norman ollestad was a passenger in privately chartered cessna aircraft. Crazy for the storm is a very well written, detailed novel that will blow you away. Theres a photo on the back jacket of norman ollestads memoir, crazy for the storm. The baby is ollestad, and the man is his father, also named norman, a onetime fbi agent.
A memoir of survival, that could make a parent weep. Aug 16, 2009 crazy for the storm by norman ollestad. It centers around 11 year old norman ollestad and the complicated relationship he had with his father. Jun 30, 2009 but mostly theres his father, norman ollestad sr. Ollestad was an elevenyear old boy when his plane crashed in the san gabriel mountains in 1979, losing his father and his girlfriend and the pilot in the crash. Ollestads portraits are beautifully contradictory and complexbrutal, brave, and humanand the book is filled with wonderful dramatic moments. Listen to crazy for the storm by norman ollestad for free with a 30 day free trial. 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. His subsequent book, french girl with mother, a novel, came out in october. His subsequent book, french girl with mother, a novel, came out in october 2016. Normans dad lives off the coast of california with his girlfriend sandra. Edgar hoovers petty diktats and wrote a book exposing them called inside the fbi, which did not endear.
It explores my return to the dangerous peaks of st. Sadly, his father, who called norman boy wonder because of his sons accomplishments at skiing, hockey, and surfing, perished in the wreckage. Norman lives with his mother and her abusive husband nick. The first edition of the novel was published in 2009, and was written by norman ollestad. Norman ollestad lives in venice, california with wife and two kids, and still travels the world skiing and surfing, now with his family. Growing up on topanga beach before the government stripped the shack houses from the surfers and the locals, ollestad was the son of a former child actor turned fbi agent turned whistleblower, who was also a fan of extreme sports.
Washington post book world norman olsteads 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, adrenalineaddicted father. The onetime child actor, fbi agent and attorney, and firstclass thrill seeker pushes first himself. Exclusive interview with crazy for the storm author norman. If norman ollestads book was just a survival memoir, it would still be an unusually good onebut the book is much more than thiscrazy for the storm is a wonderful book, extremely moving and. Norman olsteads 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, adrenalineaddicted father. He is convinced that his fathers gentle but unyielding insistence that young norman develop a sense of mastery over physical, emotional and mental challenges helped him survive the crash. Hes a writer, and his book about his father and the plane crash is crazy for the storm. In crazy for the storm, his debut effort, norman ollestad combines idyllic imagery with spare, deeply passionate prose in capturing an 11yearolds recollection of the most pivotal year of his. Crazy for the storm will keep you up late into the night.
1352 121 648 94 168 671 1498 68 860 238 158 523 1268 343 1043 896 1092 239 265 872 1298 1048 1099 214 783 492 1079 446 137 756 780 981 1081 416 1110 1004 1256 712