Book Club Meets Friday, December 4--Brrrr

Today we held our inaugural meeting of the Casady Community of Readers (CCR). Braving below freezing temperatures, we gathered in the warmth of the Cochran Library to drink coffee and tea, munch on homemade banana bread, and chew on “Crazy For The Storm”. Not everyone who attended had completed reading the book, but they were still able to participate.

This book “grabs” the reader from the first page. Some of us would not have chosen this book to read without the CCR recommendations, but were glad we did. For some, the “memoir” genre was new, but engaging. This book, a man’s memoir about his Dad, appeals to men as well as women. A comparison was made to the book “Into Thin Air” and its action adventure appeal.

We discussed the cultural and lifestyle differences between Southern California and Oklahoma in the 1970s and present day. A reader who lived in Northern California in the late 60s and early 70s shared her perspective. "I lived in the San Francisco area and felt very safe. My community was not at all like that in Malibu or the 'California beach scene.'" We received insight from someone who grew up in another country and moved to Oklahoma in the 70s who said that we were somewhat naive. Her first glimpse of marijuana, a large quantity, was in Muskogee--the place where, as the country song states, "we don't smoke marijuana. . ."

We compared and contrasted current parenting with the parenting in the book. We talked about the parents in the book (the dad, the mom, the step-dad, the godmother). While the book is primarily about Norm's relationship with his Dad, these other parents played significant roles in Norm's childhood.

We questioned:

• How would Norm have been different as an adult if his Dad had not died when he did?
• How do we recognize and deal with death--especially with children?
• What is the difference between positive risk-taking and negative risky behavior?
• What are the benefits of taking risks versus the costs? Where do we, as parents, draw the line? Can we draw the line?
• Why do we limit our children sometimes when, perhaps, we should allow them to take more risks and responsibility?

We discussed motivations, intentions and addictions.

While we were disciplined and kept the meeting to our one-hour time limit, we could have continued our discussion for hours. Please join our conversation by posting a comment of your own about Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad.

Our next book is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. We will hold our discussion at the Middle and Lower Division's Crabtree Library on Thursday evening, January 7, 2010.

'Hope to see you there!

Crazy for the Storm Discussion Questions: Friday, December 4

Crazy for the Storm is the book that we will be discussing this Friday, December 4, at the Cochran Library at 8:15 a.m. We will begin with the first three questions below. The others are listed just for your pleasure as a reader.

1. Discuss the various ways to interpret the book's title, "Crazy for the Storm." How did this perspective/attitude shape young Norman's personality and life? Did it help save his life?

2. Was Norman's father too demanding of his son? How has parenting changed since the era of the book, the 1970's?

3. Have you had early childhood experiences forced upon you that at first you resisted and rejected, but later became a most favored or treasured experience, skill, or pasttime?

4. On the fateful day of the crash, little Norman was forced to draw from all the tools and lessons his father had instilled in him from birth. Discuss the connections between what his father exposed him to and when he had to put those experiences to quick use on the mountain.

5. Have you been faced with a seemingly insurmountable situation that forced you to reach deep down inside yourself in order to make it through?

6. Empowering messages were engrained in Norman, the "Boy Wonder," from an early age such as "Never Give Up" and "We can do it all." These words fueled Norman to keep moving forward each time he weakened or seemed about to succumb. What words and thoughts wield significant power to you.

7. How does the tone from the beginning of the book compare to the end? Does Norman seem to have reconciled the tension generated by his father's insistence to push beyond the limits of the comfort zone? At the conclusion of the book, is the author softened, resolved or conflicted?

8. In contrast to his father's risk-taking nature, young Norman seemed to possess an inherent sense of reserve and caution. Throughout the story, when do we see Norman first begin to emerge from his fears and begin to embrace the joy of the thrill-seeking his father craved?