In 2003, Ralston was canyoneering in Utah and was trapped in a deep crevice when a tumbling rock smashed his hand against the canyon wall. Six days later, he made headlines around the world when he stumbled out of the canyon, having amputated his arm just below the elbow. The fact of that is gruesomely fascinating enough to motorize a blitz of publicity, but what makes this book so emotionally beefy and enduring (and the movie very successfully captures this) is the unobscured view of what human is. The breathtaking ease of a monumental mistake. The sharp knife of regret and the dull blade of self-reliance. Our need for each other and our need to deny it. What matters. What we fear. What we're willing to do to survive.
"127 Hours" is one of the best movies I saw this year. James Franco (whose book Palo Alto: Stories
1 comment:
As a resident of this beautiful part of the world, I can tell you it's even more glorious (and varied) than this unexpectedly artistic film depicts. But if you hike here, my friends, PLEASE TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU ARE GOING. Every time. No exceptions. Period.
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