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Between a Rock and a Hard Place

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 8,573 ratings · 1,234 reviews

The International Bestseller Between a Rock and a Hard Place -- Now the Major Motion Picture 127 Hours.

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 w...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published August 30th 2005 by Atria Books (first published September 7th 2004)

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Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

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Feb 04, 2008 Forest rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have read a few Mountaineering books, and as a climber/surfer/diver/backpacker/paddler/all around wilderness junkie, I was quite unsettled by this book. In the book, Aron Ralston is plagued by one-upmanship syndrome. The book should be a guide to avoiding wedging your arm between stones in desolate wilderness. Rather it is a distasteful brag-fest of Ralston's overzealous adventure practices. Events such as these lead to the closure of recreation areas every year in suit-happy America. I would...more

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Sep 09, 2008 Michael rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, travel-adventure

There is only one character in this book, and that character is, you guessed it, Aron Ralston. Between a Rock and a Hard Place is Ralston's account of his ordeal pinned to a canyon wall by a half-ton chockstone in Blue John Canyon. He alternates between chapters telling of the delirium of those five days and the choices he must make, and a sort of "how I came to be the way I am" recounting of his life story. The irony of the book reveals itself to the reading pretty early on. A seemingly random...more There is only one character in this book, and that character is, you guessed it, Aron Ralston. Between a Rock and a Hard Place is Ralston's account of his ordeal pinned to a canyon wall by a half-ton chockstone in Blue John Canyon. He alternates between chapters telling of the delirium of those five days and the choices he must make, and a sort of "how I came to be the way I am" recounting of his life story. The irony of the book reveals itself to the reading pretty early on. A seemingly random accident, with a one-in-a-million rescue, has been fated for this kid his whole damn life. I call Ralston a "kid" (even though he was my age when he had this accident) because he shows time and time again that he has learned very few lessons from his great experience of the world.

Let me get some of the problems with the book and Ralston out of the way, so I can eventually say something nice. Aron's a bit of a 90s douche of the highest order. He loves Phish and String Cheese Incident. He quotes the Matrix movies and Fight Club and Eastern philosophy. He writes from a thoroughly egotistical point of view - not spending enough timing concerned with anything but his own enjoyment of the world and his own survival. I mean, I can relate to that, but it's not intriguing to read Ralston's account of his search and rescue when he often uses hyperbole to express other people's emotions and actions. Come on, man. We know your mom was really worried, but you sound a little silly trying to explain just how much she cared and how scared she was. I believe you.

When writing about his winter fourteener project - an attempt to solo climb all of the mountains 14000 feet or higher in Colorado - he sounds like a typical priveleged mountaineer, full of bravado with no reason to risk his life. He's a bored child in a huge playground. I guess I should reserve judgement on that particular matter, but I can't overlook his reckless endangerment of friends and strangers alike on some of his outings. While on a hike with two guys he meets south of the Grand Canyon, he jumps foolhardy into the ragin Colorado River and nearly kills himself and endangers his two companions who save him from the current. Later on, the same year of his accident, 2003, he skis down a slope in Colorado against the better judgement of himself and his friends and then beckons them to follow. When the avalanche nearly kills one of his friends - Mark, a search and rescue expert, who expressed his ambivalence about Aron's fourteener project - Aron admits that he's done wrong and acted foolishly, but we're not convinced that he'd do it any differently if given the chance.

So, I don't especially like the guy, but I did find some redeemed bits in his book. I found his detailed account of the ordeal in the canyon to particularly revelatory about the decay of the human mind and body in such situations. Ralston is intuitive and highly resourceful as a survivalist (if not as a writer) and his very specific descriptions of his attempts to break the chockstone or lift it from his arm are intriguing. His intensity and will to live shine through in his observations. This is a man who wants to live, but knows he will, in all likelihood, die if not for a great amount of skill and luck. For most of the time of his entrapment - 5 days - he plans calmly and conserves energy and water and uses his obviously futile activities as ways of distracting himself from his misery, or warming his body against the cold nights. He tries, but fails to amputate his forearm. It is only in an act of desperation, an upsurge of primal energy that he realizes the only way he can free himself, to break his own bones with a rock, that he is able to survive. What does this say about man, and nature? We must be beasts, in order to live, sometimes.

We feel Aron's thirst, his need for a margarita, his revulsion at drinking his own piss. What is not convincing is his final assertion that this ordeal was all for the best, in the end. Did he learn a deep lesson about appreciating his friends and family or, like so many other mountaineers and extreme sport enthusiasts, has he just garnered another scar, another tick on his record, another bragging right, another brutal scrape with death?(less)

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Feb 26, 2011 Elise rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WARNING: This is a SUPER long review; it's kind of a very long account of what my thoughts were during the entire book.
"We are not grand because we are at the top of the food chain or because we can alter our environment - the environment will outlast us with its unfathomable forces and unyielding powers. But rather than be bound and defeated by our insignificance, we are bold because we exercise our will anyway, despite the ephemeral and delicate presence we have in this desert, on this planet,...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Linds rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of survival stories

Shelves: 2000s, adventure, non-fiction, physical-disablities, read-in-2011, southwest, survival

First of all, God what a story.

If you have not seen the movie, Aron is best known as "that guy that had to cut off his own arm." While hiking in a canyon a rock smashes his arm and he is stuck almost a week with very low food and water until he amputates his own arm in order to survive.

Now this is an odd reading experience. It is one of the few times where the movie is much better then the book, and the oddness compounds when Aron Ralston is writing a true account of his own experiences. How cou...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Jackie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hmmm.
I do not think Aron Ralston is a hero of any sort.
Yes, he amputated his arm because he had the wherewithal and the survival skills to remain calm in this massively dire situation.
However, this book is full of his tales of stupid, arrogant mistakes where he consistently fails to consider the forces (and consequences) of his actions.
He should have been killed numerous times. He is responsible, at least on one occasion, for almost killing two of his best friends.
The entire time I was readin...more

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May 16, 2011 Stephan van der Linde rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: based-on-true-events, drama, literature

This is the vehement story of mountaineer Aron Ralston who always, for he starts an expedition, tells his friends and family where he's going to climb.

Just not this time, may 2003, in Utah's Bluejohn Canyon, he falls into a cave and by the most uncredible bad luck his hand gets stuck between a big massive rock.

This book describes Ralston's struggle against thirst, hunger, desperation, pain, stress and anxiety, because nobody knows where he is.

His situation keeps getting worse and worse. Running...more

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Jun 10, 2008 Elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who is interested in survival stories.

Recommended to Elaine by: Some friends lent it to my mom and my mom lent it to me.

In Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Aron Ralston tells his true and amazing survival story. Hiking in Blue John Canyon one Saturday afternoon (April 26, 2003 to be exact), Aron, an experienced mountaineer, got trapped when a 800lb boulder came loose and pined his right hand to the canyon wall. Aron usually left a detailed map of where he was going with someone so that, if the need came, they would be able to find him quickly. On this trip, however, he did not, as it was suppose to be a simple h...more In Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Aron Ralston tells his true and amazing survival story. Hiking in Blue John Canyon one Saturday afternoon (April 26, 2003 to be exact), Aron, an experienced mountaineer, got trapped when a 800lb boulder came loose and pined his right hand to the canyon wall. Aron usually left a detailed map of where he was going with someone so that, if the need came, they would be able to find him quickly. On this trip, however, he did not, as it was suppose to be a simple hike in the Utah canyonlands. Nobody knew where he was and no one would realize he's missing until he didn't show up at work that Monday. This meant that he would not be rescued until late the next week, and with his little amount of food and very little water, this meant almost certain death. Mr. Ralston does not only go into detail about how he managed to keep himself alive for 6 days, he also goes into his history and tells how he got to this point and how he knows how to do certain things that help him. He also describes what happens out of the canyon when his colleagues, friends, and family realize he is missing and the rescue process. He has both a video recorder and a camera with him, so he tapes messages to his family and friends, and takes pictures of his smashed hand and himself. By Wednesday evening he was amazed that he has lived that long and taped his last goodbye and dying instructions on the video camera. He then carved his name, birth date, that day's date (which he was sure was his last), and RIP into the canyon wall above him. That night he has a divine inspiration where he sees himself lifting who he knows is going to be his son into his arms, he had only his left hand as his right arm was a stump. He had considered amputation from the start, but had thought that there was no way of doing it as his multi-tool knife would not be strong enough to cut through his bones. Thursday morning he knew he had to get his hand off of him to escape (he had tried many other ways of escaping already), so he broke both his arm bones below the elbow and used the knife to amputate his wrist and hand. This is not the end however, Aron also tells how he managed to get out of the canyons and how he was flown to a hospital and then how he and his family had to deal with the media. He also describes how he learned to cope with one hand.
I listened to the CD formate of this book, which is read by Aron himself, and it was very interesting. His story is truly awesome and inspiring! I was sad when, at the end, they said that it had been abridged for CD, because now I want to get the book to see what they left out. Aron Ralston is still an outdoors man and uses his different prosthetic arms to climb rock, ice, etc. Aron has amazing will to live!
Warnings: There is some swearing in this book (understandable, considering the situation), especially when he first gets trapped and at certain points when his frustration and depression peak. It is also a little gruesome, and perhaps not for the squeamish, but in the context of the story it is not that disturbing.(less)

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Feb 10, 2012 Franki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: desert-island-books

I saw the film and was inspired to read the book because I wanted to really FEEL what was going through Aron Ralston's head through his ordeal.
His book doesn't just focus on the 127 hours he spent trapped under the rock, he dissects his whole life up to that point, recalling memories and events as well as people who have crossed his path. The worst part in the book is, predictably, when he finally decides to amputate his own arm- as graphic as it seemed on film, reading about it made me feel exc...more

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Mar 10, 2009 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is Aron Ralston's own story of how, while hiking alone in the remote Utah desert, his hand became trapped under a boulder for five days, and how he finally escaped by cutting off his arm. Ralston was a twenty-something retired mechanical engineer turned full time alpinist/adventurer when this accident occurred.

I think the story was well written. Ralston dealt with more fatigue, pain, hunger, and (most of all) thirst than I can imagine, and I rejoiced with him when he finally reached that li...more This is Aron Ralston's own story of how, while hiking alone in the remote Utah desert, his hand became trapped under a boulder for five days, and how he finally escaped by cutting off his arm. Ralston was a twenty-something retired mechanical engineer turned full time alpinist/adventurer when this accident occurred.

I think the story was well written. Ralston dealt with more fatigue, pain, hunger, and (most of all) thirst than I can imagine, and I rejoiced with him when he finally reached that little puddle of nasty water he drank from.

It's an interesting read, but I think it would have been better without the "filler" chapters about his background. I skipped the last couple of these because they were starting to drive me crazy. In my opinion, they have little value, except to show that he did LOTS of dumb things before he did this PARTICULAR dumb thing. Also, some of Ralston's descriptions of rock faces, etc, were too lengthy for me.

For such a smart guy, Ralston did a lot of foolish things during his ordeal. I was amazed at how long he kept trying to chip away at that rock with a Leatherman. It was clear to me when he started doing it, that even if he COULD chip away a chunk of rock from the edge, it would only cause the boulder to slide down a little, taking his hand with it.

I was also surprised that he didn't have the presence of mind to save his urine the first time he had to go. I said "What are you doing? That's as good as it's going to get!" when I read that part.

While I was impressed that he was able to rig up any kind of pulley system at all to try and lift the rock, I was 100% certain it wouldn't work: there's way too much friction. In fact, I don't think that idea would have worked even if he'd had real pulleys with him. Possibly, if the rock had weighed only 200 pounds like he thought, real pulleys would have enabled him to lift it, but again, it should have been obvious that the rock weighed far more than 200 pounds. It was to me.

Lastly, why did it take him so long to figure out that breaking his arm was infinitely easier than cutting through it? He'd given up on escaping on Tuesday, thinking he would probably die there, or by some miracle be rescued. It took him two full days beyond that point - two days of terrible suffering - to finally think of trying to break his arm bones instead of cutting through them. It's not like he was busy on Tuesday and Wednesday trying out other escape methods: he was waiting to die.

Surely, his mental capacity had been inhibited somewhat by fatigue and all the other privations he was enduring, but I'm surprised that a mechanical engineer wouldn't immediately rule out trying to lift the rock and also that he wouldn't think of trying to break his arm instead of cut through it. He should have escaped at least two full days earlier than he did.

Although my review has a critical tone, I did enjoy this book. I admire Ralston's courage and will to live, and I'm glad he survived to tell this story. (less)

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Dec 10, 2008 Jason Kurtz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, autobiography

Ralston became a media sensation due to his dramatic accident, and his dynamic charisma. Ralston had an interesting perspective on the world before he was forced to sever his arm to save his life. Trapped in a slot canyon in a Utah desert for five nights and six days gives him a sense of clairity that he compares to a second adolescence. His life after the accident became somewhat of a circus, and this story is not only about the accident, but his thougths on why it occurred, and how his life ha...more

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May 20, 2013 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book written in first person view by Aron Ralston is the amazing story of how he went out on an innocent hike into the desert by his home in Colorado. During this short journey he decides to scale a dangerous canyon called Blue John, which is very deep and almost impossible to find. While scaling this canyon a rock falls directly on Ralston’s arm leaving him trapped in the canyon. He tries to chip away at the rock but is has very little effectiveness. With very limited food and water, and t...more

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May 17, 2013 Fellesha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The overall rating that I am giving Between a Rock a Hard Place by Aron Rolston is 3 out of 5 stars.

Aron Rolston, an extreme outdoorist and expert mountaineer, at the age of twenty-seven finds himself climbing in a narrow slot canyon in the Utah Horseshoe Canyon District. The day is April 26, 2003. Then, in the middle of the day completely in his element, a massive boulder falls lose, pinning Aron’s right hand to the deep canyon wall. In this epic story of the struggle for survival, Aron Rolsto...more The overall rating that I am giving Between a Rock a Hard Place by Aron Rolston is 3 out of 5 stars.

Aron Rolston, an extreme outdoorist and expert mountaineer, at the age of twenty-seven finds himself climbing in a narrow slot canyon in the Utah Horseshoe Canyon District. The day is April 26, 2003. Then, in the middle of the day completely in his element, a massive boulder falls lose, pinning Aron’s right hand to the deep canyon wall. In this epic story of the struggle for survival, Aron Rolston learns what is important and what is not, and begins to understand that achievement, requires sacrifice.

What I thought was most impressive about this novel is that Aron Rolston, is able to to go into so much detail in his adventure. The words and phrases he uses fit very well into the piece and I am extremely impressed with this piece. The way he describes how the boulder falls and smashes his left hand first, and then pins his right wrist to the wall made it very easy to picture what was happening to him. It literally feels like you are with him throughout the entire period of the book. Rolston also shows us just how mentally and physically exhausting it is to be trapped down in a narrow canyon, miles away from any water, food, or civilization. When he describes how he gets delirious from dehydration and is forced to drink his own pee, or when he has no saliva left and the burrito physically cannot go down his throat, even though he so desperately needs something to eat.

There are quite a few terms in the book that people who are not familiar with climbing will not understand like the terms “chimneying” and “yarding”. The glossary at the end of the book helps very much to understand these terms, and I am very glad that Rolston included one. This text does have some language, and swearing occurs every once in awhile throughout this book. This book may also not fend well with people with weak stomachs, as blood and sickening injury do occur a lot in this book. This did not take anything away from the reading for me, but it might for some.

Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are interested in adventure, or inspiration, but even if you are neither you can still very easily enjoy this book. Since Rolston so clearly describes the difficulties and hardships that lead up to his humongous life or death decision, it makes this book very comprehensible and enjoyable.
(less)

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May 16, 2013 Austin Spilker rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is about a man named Aron Ralston and the life or death situation he encountered while on a hike in the Slot Canyons in Moab Utah. Aron is a balls to the wall outdoorsmen that is always looking for a way to challenge nature. Aron decides to go on a hike in Slot Canyon, and just when he thinks everything is okay he lowers himself down on the slots and a 300 pound boulder falls causing his arm to be smashed and pinned against the wall of the slot. Throughout this book it is the story of...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Carolyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

I had followed Aron's story when it happened, watched the Dateline NBC special back in the early 2000s, and had seen the movie "127 Hours." I just got back from hiking in Canyonlands in March 2013 (coincidentally about 10 years after Aron was there) so I decided to pick up this book. As I knew his story going into the book, I was biased in my thinking - like 'how good can this be - I know what happens.'

What IS so good is that it's not just a story of Aron's life-changing experience in Blue John...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Alexis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My rating for the book “Between A Rock and A Hard Place” by Aron Ralston would have to be 3 out 5 stars.

In one of many journeys of Aron Ralston’s, he finds himself stuck in difficult position for many days between life and death. If he would like to make it out alive he will have to face a serious decision that could affect his life if he becomes free. Through his days in the canyon Aron would come across problems that would be appalling for any human to do in the real world.

In Aron’s book I wa...more My rating for the book “Between A Rock and A Hard Place” by Aron Ralston would have to be 3 out 5 stars.

In one of many journeys of Aron Ralston’s, he finds himself stuck in difficult position for many days between life and death. If he would like to make it out alive he will have to face a serious decision that could affect his life if he becomes free. Through his days in the canyon Aron would come across problems that would be appalling for any human to do in the real world.

In Aron’s book I was most flattered about is that he showed how fast reality can hit you and affect your life forever but you shouldn’t give up instantly. To put forward is when Aron had been stuck in the rock for several days, longer than what most people possibly would last. He tried so many times to see if at that moment the rock would somehow loosen and he could free his hand to leave. He took whatever he had, dull knife, a smaller rock he could grasp, he even tried using the little rope he had to make a pulley system to lift the rock, but they never worked. Also having little food, and little to no water he had to use it sparsely, and when he ran out he had to improvise something to drink. In the end he still had what was left of his strength and knowledge to overcome the rock, and free himself.

I would say “Between A Rock and A Hard Place” this book would most interest people who are an outdoorsy type, and enjoy hearing different adventures people would take. Also may interest people who experience rock climbing and mountain climbing as well because Aron does talk about his equipment several times and you may have a better understanding of what those things are. Some audience may find some things disturbing such as him having to drink his own urine, or Aron explaining how he got out of the rock. This book should be mainly for high school and level and up, but some children younger may have interests in Aron’s journey. Though this book may have some inquisitiveness towards learning about the outdoors and his adventures around the world climbing. (less)

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Apr 11, 2013 Nixtjac rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, non-fiction

My rating for Aron Ralston’s book Between a Rock and a Hard Place is a 3 out of 5 stars.

While enjoying the outdoors in Utah, Aron Ralston is in trouble. He finds himself trapped in a narrow canyon, unable to get his arm out of the 800 pound boulder and the canyon wall. While he is sharing his experience in entrapment, he takes us back to memories of his past outdoor experiences. And he will make the biggest sacrifice of his life.

The main strength of the text in my opinion would have to be the fl...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Baxtejon rated it 4 of 5 stars

My rating for Aron Ralston’s Between a Rock and a Hard Place is a 4 out of 5 stars.

Aron Ralston is an avid outdoorsman and has climbed mountains and hiked many paths. While he is out on an easy enough hike/bike by himself through Blue John canyon in Utah, there is an accident and a rock smashes his right hand against a canyon wall. Aron must overcome the fact that he is extremely limited on water and food; and focus on finding a way out of his predicament.

The part I liked the most about this boo...more My rating for Aron Ralston’s Between a Rock and a Hard Place is a 4 out of 5 stars.

Aron Ralston is an avid outdoorsman and has climbed mountains and hiked many paths. While he is out on an easy enough hike/bike by himself through Blue John canyon in Utah, there is an accident and a rock smashes his right hand against a canyon wall. Aron must overcome the fact that he is extremely limited on water and food; and focus on finding a way out of his predicament.

The part I liked the most about this book is the imagery. Ralston can instantly transport the reader from a hot canyon to a frigid mountain top. For example, many times throughout the book, Ralston reflects back on different parts from his life. This immersive level of imagery also comes in handy when he is describing everything that he has to do so the reader gets a perfect idea of what he is talking about. I liked this because sometimes, when reading ;as opposed to watching movies; you just can't really see in your brain what the author is trying to explain. This makes me enjoy the book so much more because you can just admire how well written the book is. This is especially exciting because Ralston was not a writer before this book.

My one complaint about the book is that it seems to drag in some places but this is not a major flaw or problem. My example of this is that in one of his flashbacks I started to lose interest because there were some terms I didn’t understand.

There is some mature content in this book that might turn a reader off. There is some language used when Ralston is angry. Also when Ralston is describing his situation it is pretty gruesome and there were some hard parts to read. I think most of the language and gruesome situations are necessary because the point of the book is for the reader to understand what he actually went through with no gory details spared.

I think the biggest audience for this book is definitely active outdoors people. I say this because during his flashbacks he refers to him climbing and hiking. People interested in that stuff would be able to relate to that more than I could. However even though I am not a huge fan of climbing or hiking, this is still an amazing story of overcoming the toughest odds. Another audience is people who are going through rough times because this book is a great inspiration.(less)

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Apr 03, 2013 Girkinbra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anybody who wants to read this before watching the movie

My rating for Aron Ralston’s AutoBiography Between a Rock And a Hard place is a 3 out of 5 stars.

While hiking in a canyon in Utah Aron finds himself in trouble. His right hand is stuck between an eight- hundred pound boulder and the canyon wall. Eight miles from his truck he has to try to survive as long as he can.

What I like about Ralston’s book is that the way the book is set up is that the book takes forever to get to the end. The reason why I like this is because that it made you really fee...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Brookanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

I finally read it! This book was incredible. It made me sad to read all the negative comments that were often directed at Aron himself rather than the book. The chief complaint I have seen is that Aron is egotistical and took too many risks. While I believe that solo climbing is incredibly stupid, I don't judge him. First, he admitted in the book that he had made some mistakes and that he had come too close to death too many times and his time to die had finally arrived. Second, I admire his pas...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Ben Wand rated it 1 of 5 stars

I admire Aron's strength, persistence, and drive. Yet within about 40 pages of this book his bravado and obsession with near-death experiences became annoying and tedious. One of the most memorable parts of the book comes when he reveals that two of his friends, both experienced climbers, stopped talking to him after his reckless behavior contributed to the near death of all three of them. Yet, still Aron did not learn from that painful event. He still continues to put himself into danger time a...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Max Shapiro rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Aron Ralston has one of the most life changing and inspiring story ever. Aron Ralston was born October 27, 1975. He Lived in Marion, Ohio but he moved to Denver colorado at age 11. “He is a graduate of Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colorado” (Aron Ralston.) His profession is to be an engineer but now he is a climber. His parents are Donna and Larry ralston. Aron Ralston went to Blue john canyon a normal spot for hikers to lose there self in a canyon. A suspended boulder from whi...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Topher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Though I was deeply tempted to check both "horror" and "mystery" up above... as parts of this book are horrifying, and that Aron Ralston survived long enough to get to the point where he needed to cut of his hand is a baffling mystery.

I had a problem with Wild and with A Walk In The Woods in that the authors were basically ignorant, and nearly harmed themselves, the environment, or others through that ignorance. This book is almost the opposite. It's clear the author is extremely experienced. Th...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Maddi rated it 4 of 5 stars

The author's purpose of Between a Rock and a Hard Place is to inform readers about the traumatic experience he undergoes. Aron tells us about the struggles he went through while being trapped between a wall and a boulder for five days. He repeatedly informs us about his love for the wilderness through the telling of previous adventures, where many times he has come face to face with death.
The theme of this novel is to never loose hope. Many times Aron has come close to cessation, but has kept ho...more The author's purpose of Between a Rock and a Hard Place is to inform readers about the traumatic experience he undergoes. Aron tells us about the struggles he went through while being trapped between a wall and a boulder for five days. He repeatedly informs us about his love for the wilderness through the telling of previous adventures, where many times he has come face to face with death.
The theme of this novel is to never loose hope. Many times Aron has come close to cessation, but has kept hope and stayed positive. He goes through all of the options of how to get out of his situation, and limits his water supply to get him through as many days as possible. He struggles, but instead of giving up hope, he realizes what he has to do. If Aron had lost hope, he would not be alive today.
The style that this book is written in is a narration. Aron, the narrator, states, "The next three seconds play out at a tenth of their normal speed. Time dilates, as if I'm dreaming, and my actions decelerate. In slow motion: The rock smashes my left hand against the south wall; my eyes register the collision, and I yank my left arm back as the rock ricochets; the boulder then crushes my right hand and ensnares my right arm at the wrist, palm in, thumb up, fingers extended; the rock slides another foot down the wall with my arm in tow..." You can tell it is a narrative because he is telling the story through a series of events in chronological order.
I enjoyed the novel Between a Rock and a Hard Place. It is very informative and got me interested in exploring the great outdoors. At the same time, it also tells me to be cautious and not take too many risks. I loved how Aron Ralston wrote the novel, because you could tell he was very passionate about what he does. I disliked how often their were flashbacks, because I wanted to know what was going to happen to him at the end. But I must admit, his other adventures were also entertaining. I enjoyed how he remembered certain times of the day such as, "I glance at my watch. 8:31 A.M. The bird is fifteen minutes late this morning." This novel is unlike anything I have read, and is a truly thrilling story.(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Leah Liebman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Aron Ralston’s purpose in writing this book is to inform people of his story. He wanted to share his tragedy with the world so people are reminded that bad things happen to good people. He tells his story to be heard because something happened to him that was life changing for him and his loved ones.

The theme of Between a Rock and a Hard Place is that you never know what is going to happen and that tragedy can strike at anytime even when you are having fun. Aron had no idea what he was going to...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Rachel Lange rated it 3 of 5 stars

Between a Rock and a Hard Place By: Aron Ralston is a book about dedication and perseverance. Aron, the main character in the book, loves being outside and hiking. He feels at home when he is on a hike or mountain climbing or biking.
In this book Aron gets into a situation where he has to make a life altering decision. He knows from the beginning what he has to do but he keeps ignoring it untill the end because he wants to find a better way out. He keeps trying different things but none of them...more

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Aug 24, 2012 James rated it 3 of 5 stars

In 2003 Aron Ralston was brash young man looking for adventure. But while exploring the slot canyons of the Utah desert he found himself trapped miles from home deep within a underground chasm his right arm crushed and pinned by a massive boulder. There he lay stranded with no hope of rescue for five days. Rolston’s story was portrayed in the 2010 film 127 Hours starting James Franko.

In order to escape from circumstance that would have meant certain death Ralston was forced to amputate his own a...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Andrea Mullarkey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir

Aron Ralston is a skier, mountain biker, climber and canyoneer who is most famous for his ill-fated trip to Utah in 2003 when his hand got stuck between a falling boulder and the wall of a canyon. For 5 days he was trapped in a slot canyon with limited water, no access to the outside world and few options for coming out of the canyon alive. After 5 days, severely dehydrated and certain he would not survive another night, he amputated his own arm, left the hand in the canyon and hiked out to be r...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Eric Paulsen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Many of you have seen 127 Hours, a 2010 film that took the adventure docudrama world by storm. James Franco magnificently portrays Aron Ralston, a man trapped in the vast desert of Moab for 127 hours in the most dire of circumstances- virtually no water, no food, no sleep, and the small inconvenience of having his hand stuck in between a slot canyon he was traversing, and a half-ton boulder. As all of you know, and hopefully will not be shocked at this spoiler alert, he amputates his own hand in...more

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May 31, 2012 Davee Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

I saw the movie 127 Hours before I read this book. After the movie, and the amazing job James Franco did portraying such a harrowing situation, I absolutely HAD to read more about the actual Aaron Ralston.

WOW is all I can say.

When I began reading the book, I didn't care for Aaron that much. At first, I regarded him as a self-centered- rather egotistical- human being. However, his metamorphosis into a humble, deeply caring person inspired me. Rather than take his miraculous escape from sure deat...more

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May 23, 2012 02EzraS rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book for science but I probably would have read it any ways. This is the story of Aron Ralston's entrapment in a Blue John Canyon in the canyon lands area. This book explains how he got stuck and the surrounding circumstances. This is what I thought of it.
It was very well written. I like this kind of genre. I particularly liked how he would switch between the present and the past it made for a compelling page turner that had a very good ending. However there are some problems with...more

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About Aron Ralston

Aron Ralston grew up in the Midwest before moving to Colorado when he was twelve, a place where he became an avid outdoorsman. In 2002, he gave up a career as a mechanical engineer in New Mexico and moved to Aspen, Colorado, where among other things he continued his attempt to climb the fifty-nine Colorado peaks of more than 14,000 feet solo in winter (he's more than three-quarters through). Since...more

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“It's me. I chose this. I chose all of this — this rock has been waiting for me my entire life. I’ve been moving towards it my whole life.” — 59 people liked it

“Everything happens for a reason, and part of that beauty of life is that we're not allowed to know those reasons for certain.” — 26 people liked it

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