∎ PDF 127 Hours Between a Rock and a Hard Place Aron Ralston 8601404654558 Books

127 Hours Between a Rock and a Hard Place Aron Ralston 8601404654558 Books

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127 Hours Between a Rock and a Hard Place Aron Ralston 8601404654558 Books

Incredible story but I found it hard to get into until the second half. The author starts out explaining how he got trapped then spends chapters detailing his many climbing and rafting adventures in which he pushed himself and took great risks to himself (and others). This was almost half the book, told in great technical detail with little emotional content. I skimmed over most of this and almost stopped reading the book.
I have read other books in this genre- Into Thin Air, 6 Below, etc which include technical climbing detail but it was understandable and necessary to the larger narrative. Here it just seemed to be filler- as though he had to recount every adventure and close call he had up until the final one.
The story of his entrapment(second half) increasingly dire predicament, his thoughts and description of how he finally escaped WAS an amazing and compelling story.


Tags : 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place [Aron Ralston] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A day-by-day account of Aron Ralston's unforgettable survival story. In April 2003, whilst hiking in the Utah canyons,Aron Ralston,127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place,Simon & Schuster,1849833907,Amputees - Utah,Desert survival - Utah - Bluejohn Canyon,Hiking injuries - Utah - Bluejohn Canyon,Mountaineering accidents - Utah - Canyonlands National Park,Ralston, Aron,Rock climbing accidents - Utah - Canyonlands National Park,Wilderness survival - Utah - Canyonlands National Park,Adventurers & Explorers,Autobiography: general,Biography & Autobiography Adventurers & Explorers,Biography & AutobiographyPersonal Memoirs,Biography Autobiography,Inspirational,Personal Memoirs,ReligionInspirational,Sports & RecreationHiking

127 Hours Between a Rock and a Hard Place Aron Ralston 8601404654558 Books Reviews

I don't ever want to be too hard on a book, because I enjoy the act of reading regardless (usually) of the content. I have always been enthralled by this story, and followed it pretty closely in the news. I expected the book to be an insider view of what Aron dealt with while trapped by the boulder. Well, that story is in there, but so is a lot of fluff. Aron tells story after story after story of his climbing prowess, usually about something death-defying. In fact, reading the book, it's amazing he lived long enough to get his arm trapped. The stories tend to come off in a braggadocios manner, like Aron is trying to prove how awesome he is as if people are out there saying he's not. Reading about his time trapped in the canyon was thrilling. It is a great story that involves facing death and the will to survive against all odds. The stories that take place outside of the canyon, even his recounting of his friends and family back home preparing to search for him, are painful at best. The book would have rated at 5 stars if all of the fluff had never been added.
Book Description

In April 2003, 28-year-old Aron Ralston took a day trip in Blue John Canyon in Utah's Canyonlands National Park. Shortly after beginning his solo excursion into the canyon, a boulder came loose and pinned Ralston's right arm between it and the canyon wall. Unable to free his arm, Ralston was trapped for 127 hours (more than 5 days) with limited water and food. Because Ralston had broken one of the cardinal rules of outdoor pursuits (always let someone know where you are going), no one knew where he was (or even to come looking for him) until he didn't show up for work on Monday. His account of the ordeal and his eventual decision to save himself by amputating his right arm is documented in this well-written (and surprisingly funny) memoir.

My Thoughts

When watching 127 Hours, I was absolutely mesmerized by Ralston's predicament. (It didn't hurt that Ralston was portrayed by James Franco and the movie directed by Danny Boyle.) After watching the film, I wanted to get the full story about what Ralston had experienced. Did he really have a vision of his future son that bolstered his courage? Did he really talk into his video camera during his entrapment? Why had he made such a fundamentally stupid mistake by not telling anyone about his whereabouts? The book answered all these questions and provided much more detail into Ralston's personality and background.

In fact, after reading the book, I'm not completely surprised that Ralston found himself in his predicament. In the book, he recounts several near-death experiences he faced during various other outdoor pursuits (from almost drowning in the Grand Canyon to being buried under an avalanche). Ralston's whole life was (and is) about pushing himself in the outdoors--often in ways that others might consider foolish or overly risky. In addition, solo adventuring was nothing new to Ralston. At the time of his entrapment, he was pursuing his quest to make the first solo ascents of all "fourteeners" (mountains over 14,000 feet) in Colorado. The one line in the movie that stuck with me--"This rock had been waiting for me all my life"--really sums up Ralston's life. (I may be misremembering the exact line but it is something fairly close to this.)

Did he leave the canyon a changed man--aside from the obvious loss of his right arm? Spiritually, Ralston matured--coming to a new appreciation for life and his loved ones. What the experience didn't do was dampen his enthusiasm for outdoor pursuits. Working with prosthetics and climbing companies, Ralston designed a prosthetic arm for himself so he could continue rock climbing and mountain climbing.

The book is surprisingly well written. After all, just because you have the guts to amputate your own arm and survive for five days in a canyon with limited food and water doesn't mean you'll be able to tell your story eloquently. But Ralston (who was an engineer before quitting corporate life to pursue the outdoor life in Colorado) seems to be a true Renaissance man--crafting a well-rounded, eloquent and often amusing account of his life, philosophy and the accident changed him forever.

Finally, I must mention that the book includes a collection of full-color photographs of Ralston before, during and after the accident. I had a rather morbid fascination with these photos (including the one of the severed arm immediately after the amputation), but they really did add to the story. It was amazing to see the exact place where this took place and what Ralston looked like during his entrapment. I also need to give a shout-out to the filmmakers for seeming to recreate Ralston's predicament, clothing, and equipment down to the smallest detail.

Recommended For Readers who enjoy gripping and well-told adventure/survival stories, fans of the movie 127 Hours, and anyone looking for real-life survival story that demonstrates what people will do to survive.
I felt like I was in that canyon with Aron. He created a mental picture that made me feel as desperate to read more to free him from the boulder. I am glad he made it out and his story inspires me in so many ways. I am glad to see he is striving to be a beacon of hope for those who feel their life is trapped. The only thing I would say lagged for me was the long flashbacks to other adventures. Each was unique and a story worth telling, but the stories may have been better suited to stand on their own. I found the length of those chapters to be distracting. But overall, it was an epic read. Aron is a unique individual. I am glad I got to know him a little through his book.
Incredible story but I found it hard to get into until the second half. The author starts out explaining how he got trapped then spends chapters detailing his many climbing and rafting adventures in which he pushed himself and took great risks to himself (and others). This was almost half the book, told in great technical detail with little emotional content. I skimmed over most of this and almost stopped reading the book.
I have read other books in this genre- Into Thin Air, 6 Below, etc which include technical climbing detail but it was understandable and necessary to the larger narrative. Here it just seemed to be filler- as though he had to recount every adventure and close call he had up until the final one.
The story of his entrapment(second half) increasingly dire predicament, his thoughts and description of how he finally escaped WAS an amazing and compelling story.