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Book Summary and Reviews of In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

In the Shadow of the Mountain

A Memoir of Courage

by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

  • Critics' Consensus (1):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • Feb 2022, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Endless ice. Thin air. The threat of dropping into nothingness thousands of feet below. This is the climb Silvia Vasquez-Lavado braves in her page-turning, pulse-raising memoir following her journey to Mount Everest.

A Latina hero in the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, privately, she was hanging by a thread. Deep in the throes of alcoholism, hiding her sexuality from her family, and repressing the abuse she'd suffered as a child, she started climbing. Something about the brute force required for the ascent― the risk and spirit and sheer size of the mountains and death's close proximity―woke her up. She then took her biggest pain as a survivor to the biggest mountain: Everest.

"The Mother of the World," as it's known in Nepal, allows few to reach her summit, but Silvia didn't go alone. She gathered a group of young female survivors and led them to base camp alongside her. It was never easy. At times hair-raising, nerve-racking, and always challenging, Silvia remembers the acute anxiety of leading a group of novice climbers to Everest's base, all the while coping with her own nerves of summiting. But, there were also moments of peace, joy, and healing with the strength of her fellow survivors and community propelling her forward.

In the Shadow of the Mountain is a remarkable story of heroism, one which awakens in all of us a lust for adventure, an appetite for risk, and faith in our own resilience.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"This inspirational memoir about navigating trauma, healing relationships, finding community, and achieving self-acceptance delivers a raw and riveting reading experience." - Booklist (starred review)

"As an adult dealing with the trauma of childhood sexual abuse, Vasquez-Lavado looks to the mountains for healing in her triumphant debut memoir...[her] story of struggle and survival is elevated by its faith in the power of women's solidarity. Fans of Cheryl Strayed's Wild should take note." - Publishers Weekly

"Complex and compelling, Vasquez-Lavado's quest to heal herself from the deep wounds of patriarchy is also a vibrantly feminist celebration of female resilience...An emotionally raw and courageous memoir." - Kirkus Reviews

"Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a warrior. Her incredibly warm voice reveals how she rose from the darkest moments of her life to become an inspiration and advocate for others. This book is a testament to the power of extraordinary vulnerability, empathy, and selflessness and a reaffirmation of the healing that comes from building a community. I'm in awe of her strength and courage that she has captured so beautifully in this memoir." - Selena Gomez

"Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a woman possessed of uncommon strength, rare compassion, and a ferocious stubbornness to not allow the trauma of her childhood to destroy her life. In climbing the Seven Summits, she did nothing less than take back her own life―one brave step at a time. She will inspire untold numbers of souls with this story, for her victory is a win on behalf of all of us." - Elizabeth Gilbert

This information about In the Shadow of the Mountain was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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BuffaloGirlKS

Lifted Out of an Abyss
Unsparing in facing her demons, Ms. Marquez-Lavado recounts growing up in Peru with an domineering, emotionally and physically abusive father and a loving, but submissive mother. Both parents were blind to the sexual abuse she was subjected to by a "beloved" housekeeper from age 5 to age 14-15. That trauma colors everything during her childhood and adulthood.

There are numerous parts that are dark and sad, yet this is not a dark, sad book. Rather, the reader is lifted by the author lifting herself out of her abyss through mountaineering and helping other women who have experienced similar trauma.

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Author Information

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a humanitarian, mountaineer, explorer, social entrepreneur, and technologist living in San Francisco. In 2014, she launched Courageous Girls, a nonprofit that helps survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking with opportunities to find inner strength and cultivate their voices by demonstrating their physical strength. Courageous Girls has had projects in Nepal, India, the United States, and Peru. Vasquez-Lavado was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the Corporate Heroes of 2015. CNET named her one of the 20 Most Influential Latinos in Silicon Valley. She has also been recognized by the Peruvian government as one of the "Marca Peru" ambassadors (country brand ambassadors). She is a member of the Explorers Club and one of the few women in the world to complete the Seven Summits.

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