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Things I Learned from Falling

A Memoir

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Things I Learned from Falling

Written by: Claire Nelson
Narrated by: Claire Nelson
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About this listen

The gripping first-person account of one woman's survival in Joshua Tree National Park against the odds.

""A vibrantly physical book""—The Guardian • ""Uplifting and brave""—Stylist • ""A riveting account of loneliness, anxiety and survival""—Cosmopolitan

In 2018, writer Claire Nelson made international headlines when she fell over 25 feet after wandering off the trail in a deserted corner of Joshua Tree. The fall shattered her pelvis, rendering her completely immobile. There Claire lay for the next four days, surrounded by boulders that muffled her cries for help, but exposed her to the relentless California sun above. Her rescuers had not expected to find her alive.

In THINGS I LEARNED FROM FALLING Claire tells not only her story of surviving, but also her story of falling. What led this successful thirty-something to a desert trail on the other side of the globe from her home where no one knew she would be that day? At once the unbelievable story of an impossible event, and the human journey of a young woman wrestling with the agitation of past and anxiety of future.

Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Personal Development Personal Success Survival Feel-Good Memoir
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Only in retrospect do ones mistakes become so obvious. It’s a miracle that she survived. Mostly reflections on her self, I got it.

How not to go hiking

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Thank you Claire for sharing your story and reflections on the fragility of life. Your inner emotional journeys interwoven with your travels and amazing survival were insightful and empowering. I can very much relate to facing unimaginable terror, pain and long healing following an accident. But gratitude is a powerful elixir. Your descriptive writing and narration were a pleasure to get lost within. I feel very connected to you through this book. Thank you for your bravery to dig deep to write this. Highly recommend - an empowering read !!

Cathartic and empowering

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While this book is about the actual fall the author experienced while hiking in the desert it was about so much more. The weaving of the story of the fall and her life before the fall was seamless. It opens a window into “functional depression”. So many people can get out of bed and do their work while living in a state of depression. We have normalized it so much. The author talks of this and many of the contributing factors. She also talks much about how she started to heal her mind as well as broken body. The story was riveting!
Thank you Claire Nelson for sharing your journey with us!

A well told story of falling and then getting up

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