That's interesting; I was just talking to a friend about my inability to watch the film of this (somehow I managed to buy the DVD in a charity shop without realising that it was the guy-has-to-cut-his-arm-off one), but I think I would find the book manageable. And I'm fascinated by people's ingenuity in the face of seemingly impossible situations (I liked Apollo 13) - I love the fact that, not only did he figure out the arm thing, it wasn't even the only idea he came up with!