Things I Learned from Falling: A Memoir

Claire Nelson

May 2021 · HarperOne · Narrated by Claire Nelson

About this audiobook

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.  

Ratings and reviews

Audiobook Review: Overall – 5 Performance – 5 Story – 5 A very inspiring story. I don’t usually read or listen to non-fiction books but there was something about the blurb for this one that moved me to request a review copy of it. The author did a fantastic job of narrating her own story. Her voice was captivating and you know that she’s speaking with the correct emphasis and emotions at the appropriate time. Claire Nelson’s ordeal is proof of the human spirit’s will to survive. I can certainly understand how going through such an experience would change a person. Her story will stick with me. A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me at my request but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.

As a runner and hiker and lover of the outdoors I felt this book very relatable. I liked her writing style combining present and past tense.

About the author

Claire Nelson is a New Zealand-born writer who has spent more than a decade in London working in food and travel journalism, including more than five years at Jamie Oliver’s magazine. She has also written for Elle, Food and Travel, Trek & Mountain, Lodestars Anthology, and Westjet Canada. Things I Learned from Falling is her first book. She lives in Toronto.