In The Shadow of the Mountain

Author: Silvia Vasquez-lavado

Inspiring mountaineer takes a group of abused young women on an epic trek to Mount Everest Base Camp, before climbing the mountain herself, and healing her own trauma.

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Summary

Inspiring mountaineer takes a group of abused young women on an epic trek to Mount Everest Base Camp, before climbing the mountain herself, and healing her own trauma.

Description

When Silvia’s mother called her home to Peru, she knew something finally had to give. A Latinx hero in the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, privately, she was hanging by a thread. She was deep in the throes of alcoholism, hiding her sexuality from her family, and repressing the abuse she’d suffered as a child.

Her visit to Peru would become a turning point in her life. Silvia started climbing. Something about the brute force required for the ascent—the restricted oxygen at altitude, the vast expanse of emptiness around her, the risk and spirit and sheer size of the mountains, the nearness of death—woke her up. And then, she took her biggest pain 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, their strength 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, gratitude for the strong women in our lives, and faith in our own resilience.

Critic Reviews

“Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a warrior. I'm in awe of her strength and courage that she has captured so beautifully in this memoir.A beautiful and urgent offering.Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a warrior. I'm in awe of her strength and courage. - Selena GomezAn incredibly powerful story - Sunday IndependentPowerful - New York TimesIn the Shadow of the Mountain has all the elements a great memoir requires - a strong voice, cinematic prose, a hero to root for - in essence, an extraordinary story about an extraordinary woman's life. - San Francisco ChronicleSilvia 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. - Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, LoveTold with searing honesty, this vividly wrought memoir chronicles an almost superhuman journey from the deep vortex of trauma and self-destructive compulsions to the heights of physical endurance and spiritual emergence. - Dr. Gabor Mate, Bestselling Author of In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts”

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a warrior. I'm in awe of her strength and courage. Selena Gomez
An incredibly powerful story Sunday Independent
Powerful New York Times
In the Shadow of the Mountain has all the elements a great memoir requires - a strong voice, cinematic prose, a hero to root for - in essence, an extraordinary story about an extraordinary woman's life. San Francisco Chronicle
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. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
Told with searing honesty, this vividly wrought memoir chronicles an almost superhuman journey from the deep vortex of trauma and self-destructive compulsions to the heights of physical endurance and spiritual emergence. Dr. Gabor Maté, Bestselling Author of In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts
powerful and relatable... a moving commemoration of mountains and mothers Sunday Independent

About the Author

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a humanitarian, mountaineer, explorer, social entrepreneur, and technologist living in San Francisco. In 2014, she launched Courageous Girls to help survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking find their own inner strength. Courageous Girls has had projects in Nepal, 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 a cultural ambassador. She is a member of the Explorers Club and one of the few women in the world to complete the "Seven Summits."

More on this Book

*****"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." - Elizabeth Gilbert , author of Eat, Pray, Love "Told with searing honesty, this vividly wrought memoir chronicles an almost superhuman journey from the deep vortex of trauma and self-destructive compulsions to the heights of physical endurance and spiritual emergence."- Dr. Gabor Mate , Bestselling Author of In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts "Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a warrior. I'm in awe of her strength and courage." - Selena Gomez YOU DON'T CONQUER A MOUNTAIN. YOU SURRENDER TO IT ONE STEP AT A TIME. Despite a high-flying career, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado knew she was hanging by a thread. Deep in the throes of alcoholism, and hiding her sexuality from her family, she was repressing the abuse she'd suffered as a child.When her mother called her home to Peru, she knew something finally had to change. It did. Silvia began to climb. Something about the sheer size of the mountains, the vast emptiness and the nearness of death, woke her up. And then, she took her biggest pain to the biggest mountain: Everest. The 'Mother of the World' allows few to reach her summit, but Silvia didn't go alone. Trekking with her to Base Camp, were six troubled young women on an odyssey that helped each confront their personal trauma, and whose strength and community propelled Silvia forward...Beautifully written and deeply moving, In the Shadow of the Mountain is a remarkable story of compassion, humility, and strength, inspiring us all to find have faith in our own heroism and resilience.