Hiking into the remote Utah canyonlands, Aron Ralston felt perfectly at home in the beauty of the natural world. Then, at 2:41 P.M., eight miles from his truck, in a deep and narrow slot canyon, an eight-hundred-pound boulder tumbled loose, pinning Aron's right hand and wrist against the canyon wall. Through six days of hell, with scant water, food, or warm clothing, and the terrible knowledge that no one knew where he was, Aron eliminated his escape option one by one. Then a moment of stark clarity helped him to solve the riddle of the boulder - and commit one of the most extreme and desperate acts imaginable.
My Rating: 3.5/5
I was given this book for Christmas a few years ago and finally decided to read it. The closest thing can compare it to is Stuart Diver's autobiography I read about a decade ago.
I'm pretty sure everyone is familiar with Aron's remarkable story. I had seen the movie prior to reading this. After reading the book, I am a little disappointed in how many key moments the film cut out, for example the amount of near death experiences Aron had had leading up to this moment and how long it took him to get help after freeing himself.
I found the mountaineering talk a bit boring at times, especially when he went back and described past treks. However this showed how he lived life on the edge and demonstrated how experienced he was.
I wouldn't recommend this book for those who have a weak stomach. He goes into extreme detail in how he cut off his arm - which I actually found quite interesting.
Overall I found this book pretty inspiring, it's a reminder of how precious life is and not to take it for granted.
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