A remarkable story of heroism and climbing to the top of the world, but not the traditional hero's tale you might expect; author Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a survivor of childhood abuse, a pain she is working through by climbing the Seven Summits.
No wonder this won the prestigious Stanfords Travel Book Award in 2023, or that's it's scheduled to be turned into a film with Selena Gomez playing Silvia.
In the Shadow of the Mountain tells Silvia's life story, along with the tale of how she climbed Everest accompanied by other survivors of abuse on their own journey of healing.
A Latina hero in the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, privately, Silvia 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.
Everest, or “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 bears the extra burden of guiding the group of novice climbers to Everest’s base, all the while coping with her own summit nerves.
In the Shadow of the Mountain is a remarkable story, ful of peace, joy, and love, which will help us all find faith in our own resilience.
"Patriarchal societies champion summit journeys as tales of conquest. But 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.’
The New York Times
