We had a lively discussion around our dinner table last night about what constitutes a hero and what type of person inspires us.  It was triggered by the Community Reads talk featuring Aron Ralston, the highly publicized climber who cut off his arm to survive being trapped by a boulder he had dislodged while climbing by himself in isolated Utah canyons.  He is also the author of Between A Rock and a Hard Place, now retitled 127 Hours after the movie.  Our discussion centered around personal preparedness, responsibility, and personal choices once a person has survived and is then famous.  We had a lot to compare with the unquestionably inspiring Jill Kinmont Boothe and her own life choices.  My two teen aged children had both listened to Ralston yesterday, and had very strong opionions, which did my heart good as a mom. 

I could not attend the mid-day public appearance, and expect many other adults missed it as well.  We still have several copies of the book in the store if you are interested in the story – let me recommend it for family discussion if nothing else!