I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death is a memoir written by Maggie O'Farrell in which she recalls 17 instances in which she had nearly died throughout her life. Each chapter is named by the part of the body that was compromised in the near-death experience and the year each instance occurred is listed next to the chapter's body-part title in the Table of Contents. In Chapter 5: Neck, Maggie is in Chile as part of a week-long trip traveling around South America. A man who does not speak English holds a machete to Maggie's throat and tries to rob her and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend, Will, gives the man some money but he is not satisfied. They were carrying a large amount of money and had just been to the bank that day. Will surrenders all the money but the man does not let go of Maggie. He holds her tighly by her hair and drags her around violently, deciding whether or not to kill her, then tells them both to run and releases her.