Crossing Deep Water: A Memoir

After graduating from high school in 1964, seventeen-year-old Don MacKinnon spent an idyllic summer working as a boat boy at a lodge on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. With no previous experience, he had to learn to ferry guests across a vast, deep, and sometimes-treacherous lake. As he mastered the skills of boat maintenance and navigation, he developed a deep sense of personal responsibility for the safety of his passengers.

Two years later, that experience took on new meaning when he...