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127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston (audio)

Aron Ralston, if you are not yet familiar wit his amazing recovery from being trapped in a Utah canyon, reads this abridged edition of his memoir, 127 Hours:  Between a Rock and a Hard Place.  In only five discs, listeners will get lessons in climbing equipment and the actual stamina and skill involved in hiking treacherous terrain out west.  Ralston is a man who often likes to hike and climb alone to commune with nature, but also to be with himself in a way that allows him to just be and assess his own life.

Listeners are walking beside Ralston as he tells his tale, climbing steep canyons with him, and feeling the agony and pain of dehydration, starvation, and major blood loss.  His enthusiasm for the outdoors and climbing are infectious.

127 Hours is a gripping real life tale of a human struggle alone in the wilderness and the enduring nature of hope and humanity.  Ralston’s struggle is immediate and harrowing.  The audio, especially narrated by the actual subject of the tragic event, is mesmerizing and even disturbing in its detail.  Overall, this is one of the best audio books of the year.  It is more than just a story about a man’s struggle and courage, but about what he does following tragedy to change his life and appreciate the friends and family he has.

My husband and I listened to this audio on the commute to and from work.  My husband says the best part of the book is how the narrator describes the process through which he amputates his arm to miss his major veins and nerves until the harder parts are severed, etc.  There is a true sense of how the human spirit seeks ways to keep the body going, and how the body keeps going regardless of moments of weakness in human will.  Ralston explains his plight really well.  Very profound and memorable.

***Thanks to Eco-Libris and the Green Books Campaign for sending us this wonderful prize.***

This is my 61st book for the 2010 New Authors Reading Challenge.

Comments

  1. You’ve sold me. I love it when the author reads his own memoir. I’ll have to get this before I see the movie.

  2. Lavonne Trevino says

    Sounds intense. I don’t think I could read this one; I’d honestly feel nauseated. But it does sound really good.

  3. I’m not sure I could listen to that one! Just thinking about him amputating his arm makes me feel sick.

  4. I would have never thought to listen to the audio for this one. In fact, never much thought about reading this book at all. However, your review now has me interested.

    • I think the author telling the story makes it more immediate and real to me. I would probably have read the book with a surreal feeling..I think the audio made it more true.

  5. I really want to see this movie, but have a tough time making it to anything rated R because of the kids. (I have to wait for Netflix.) I’m going to see if my library has this one (I can’t do abridged though…I feel like I am missing out!)

    • I had no idea it was abridged until I went to write the review. I really enjoyed it. I think it was the perfect length for me because that gruesome stuff was hard to take. The husband and I are really looking forward to getting out to see the movie soon.

  6. Sounds intense. I don’t think I could read this one; I’d honestly feel nauseated. But it does sound really good.

Trackbacks

  1. Tweets that mention 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston (audio) | Savvy Verse & Wit -- Topsy.com says:

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by SerenaACAnnaH. SerenaACAnnaH said: RT @SimonAudio: @SavvyVerseWit calls 127 HOURS one of the best audiobooks of the year! Read the the full review here http://bit.ly/fvoIE2 […]