Addiction & Recovery
![Silvia Vasquez-Lavado - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B098D584CD.jpg)
In the Shadow of the Mountain
"In climbing the Seven Summits, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado 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
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 chronicling 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.
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 chronicling 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.
Editorial 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
"Vasquez-Lavado understands that 'we do not conquer Everest, just like we do not conquer trauma. Instead, we must yield ourselves to the chasms and unexpected avalanches.' And herein lies the wisdom of this work, aptly subtitled 'A Memoir of Courage': In a world that demands us to harden, to tell stories of strength and triumph, the bravest act can be embracing our inner child, our fears, our truths."
― Qian Julie Wang, author of New York Times bestseller Beautiful Country, for The New York Times
"The climax of the book ― and Vasquez-Lavado's voyage up the mountain ― brings a moment of resolve to all three battles at once in a tear-jerking, Hollywood ending."
― People
"The book's chapters alternate between her enthralling life's journey and a nail-biting Mount Everest ascent."
― The Washington Post's "10 noteworthy books for February"
"It's that drive to escape, to defy, that eventually pushes her up the macho corporate ladder at Silicon Valley start-ups, into alcoholism, and then across continents as a thrill-seeker breaking boundaries with her bare hands."
― Sierra
"This inspirational memoir about navigating trauma, healing relationships, finding community, and achieving self-acceptance delivers a raw and riveting reading experience."
―Booklist <...
―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
"Vasquez-Lavado understands that 'we do not conquer Everest, just like we do not conquer trauma. Instead, we must yield ourselves to the chasms and unexpected avalanches.' And herein lies the wisdom of this work, aptly subtitled 'A Memoir of Courage': In a world that demands us to harden, to tell stories of strength and triumph, the bravest act can be embracing our inner child, our fears, our truths."
― Qian Julie Wang, author of New York Times bestseller Beautiful Country, for The New York Times
"The climax of the book ― and Vasquez-Lavado's voyage up the mountain ― brings a moment of resolve to all three battles at once in a tear-jerking, Hollywood ending."
― People
"The book's chapters alternate between her enthralling life's journey and a nail-biting Mount Everest ascent."
― The Washington Post's "10 noteworthy books for February"
"It's that drive to escape, to defy, that eventually pushes her up the macho corporate ladder at Silicon Valley start-ups, into alcoholism, and then across continents as a thrill-seeker breaking boundaries with her bare hands."
― Sierra
"This inspirational memoir about navigating trauma, healing relationships, finding community, and achieving self-acceptance delivers a raw and riveting reading experience."
―Booklist <...
Readers Top Reviews
Julianne HutsonFi
I love to read about the journeys of women who use physical endeavors to heal the tragedy of the past. I had a hard time with the rhythm and flow between the different stories, but nonetheless, I found it eventually. For me, this book could have been much longer. I would like to know more about the back story of her Courageous Girls group. I would also like to know how climbing has changed her life in more detail. I realize that opening up to strangers via written word would be daunting, so perhaps she shared all she wanted to...which is a lot. I hope the author will write another book about her 7 Summits adventures!
carilynpJulianne
From the unspeakable abuse she suffered during her childhood to her successful career in Silicon Valley to leading a courageous charge of young women to find themselves at Mt. Everest while she fulfilled her own dream to reach the mountain. Silvia takes her trauma and turns it into a way out along with a way of helping others. And she takes it to great heights. Her challenge in summiting Everest will allow her to finally face the most enormous pain of all and what better place to do this than at the highest peak. Powerful, inspirational, and courageous.
Elizabethcarilynp
This book covers so many topics i am learning about. Climbing means everything to me. Hearing another woman's story is inspiring.
Jennifer ChangEli
I read most of this book in a quiet corner of my 5-year-old daughter's room while putting her to bed. I was immediately drawn in by the nail-biting mountaineering adventure, but it was the story of Silvia's journey to healing that kept me thinking about the book long afterwards. It was hard to read about the abuse suffered by Silvia and the other survivors in her story. As a mother, it made me feel afraid for my daughter and all young girls. But at the same time, I was also deeply inspired at their courage and resiliency. Silvia's story is also the story of an immigrant chasing the American dream only to discover that no matter how successful she is, she can't outrun her past. So she decides that her path to healing is by climbing the world's tallest mountains. Only she doesn't do it alone - she brings along other survivors in her journey up the mountain, and together they find the strength to reach the goal. To me, this is what the healing journey is all about: Facing your pain and turning it into something beautiful and life-giving. Thank you Silvia for writing this vulnerable and inspiring book.
SharskyJennifer C
I knew the negative reviews had to be wrong. Slow read?! She's climbing Mother F'n Everest. It doesn't happen in a day. And regardless, I thought it was a wonderful read webbing her past trauma, adulthood, losses, and climb to the top of the world beautifully.
