In sharing the triumphs and tragedies of their extraordinary family, Maralys Wills and Chris Wills have given us earthbound parents a lyrical and soul-lifting image of how to let go--to release our children so they can soar onto new and unexplored altitudes. I am in awe of their courage and their eloquence.”
The book begins: “I never thought I'd lose a son to hang gliding. It just never seemed possible that the sport we'd watched and applauded--the sport we'd taken on as a business and nurtured from infancy--could turn around and bite us. And Eric! How could it have been our third son, Eric, they called about, when all along it was Bobby who took the risks, Bobby who'd made a private pact with Luck?

“Of all our six boisterous children, only Bobby lived on the edge of disaster. He drove his truck as though pursued by hit men. He rode his Bultaco motorcycle full bore down dirt roads at night, mindless of potholes, going airborne over whatever road junk he couldn't see. He flew his hang glider off unfamiliar mountains, playing the odds like an eagle--imagining he could make the flight work out and not worrying about the wind or the terrain or who would pick him up down below.

“So why was it Eric--affable, non-daring Eric--they called about?”