127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Softcover

Ralston, Aron

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1849833907 ISBN 13: 9781849833905

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2010

Synopsis

On Sunday April 27, 2003, 27-year old Aron Ralston set off for a day's hiking in the Utah canyons. Dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, Ralston, a seasoned climber, figured he'd hike for a few hours and then head off to work. 40 miles from the nearest paved road, he found himself on top of an 800-pound boulder. As he slid down and off of the boulder it shifted, trapping his right hand against the canyon wall. No one knew where he was; he had little water; he wasn't dressed correctly; and the boulder wasn't going anywhere. He remained trapped for five days in the canyon: hypothermic at night, de-hydrated and hallucinating by day. Finally, he faced the most terrible decision of his life: braking the bones in his wrist by snapping them against the boulder, he hacked through the skin, and finally succeeded in amputating his right hand and wrist. The ordeal, however, was only beginning. He still faced a 60-foot rappell to freedom, and a walk of several hours back to his car - along the way, he miraculously met a family of hikers, and with his arms tourniqued, and blood-loss almost critical, they heard above them the whir of helicopter blades; just in time, Aron was rescued and rushed to hospital. Since that day, Aron has had a remarkable recovery. He is back out on the mountains, with an artificial limb; he speaks to select groups on his ordeal and rescue; and amazingly, he is upbeat, positive, and an inspiration to all who meet him. This is the account of those five days, of the years that led up to them, and where he goes from here. It is narrative non-fiction at its most compelling.

About this title

Review:

Ralston manages to keep the tension flowing throughout . . . with an exactness that gives his book the emotional pull of a psychological thriller’ -- Mail on Sunday

‘An amazing feat of superhuman endurance . . . Gripping’ -- Daily Express

‘Heroic, searing and compelling’ -- BENEDICT ALLEN

‘Riveting . . . If you read only one adventure book this year, this is it’ -- The Great Outdoors

‘Superb . . . think Touching the Void directed by Tarantino’ -- New Statesman

About the Author:

Aron Ralston, a native of the Midwest, retired from a career as a mechanical engineer at age twenty-six before moving to Aspen, Colorado. Since his accident, he has completed his unprecedented project to climb the fifty-nine Colorado peaks of more than 14,000 feet, alone, in winter. His first book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, was a New York Times bestseller and was adapted into the major motion picture 127 Hours by Danny Boyle. Today, as a father of an infant daughter and four-year-old son, Aron lives in Boulder, Colorado. He continues to travel the world for both adventure and to share his story. Follow his journey at AronRalstonSpeaker.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1849833907
• ISBN 13: 9781849833905
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368