Into the Storm

<p> ONCE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT tragedy on the waters of Green Bay this nearly forgotten story is powerfully retold in Palmer's historical novel Into the Storm. Set against the backdrop of World War II-era Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin the book recounts the life struggles and successes of the prominent shipbuilding family of Leathem D. Smith.</p><p> On June 23 1946 after a spirited regatta in Menominee Michigan Smith's sailboat Half Moon is caught in a violent storm while crossing the waters of Green Bay toward home. Only his teenage daughter Patsy survives-defying nature and all odds. Battling hurricane-force winds frigid water and relentless waves she swims for an astonishing six and a half hours through the darkness to reach safety. Into the Storm is an emotionally powerful narrative of one family's rise and fall and one young woman's extraordinary will to live. </p>