In the Shadow of the Mountain, Silvia VasquezLavado
In the Shadow of the Mountain, Silvia VasquezLavado
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In the Shadow of the Mountain
A Memoir of Courage

Author: Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

Narrator: Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

Unabridged: 15 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/01/2022


Synopsis

“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

This audiobook is read by the author.

"Through her narration, Vasquez-Lavado, whose first language is Spanish, conveys a lifetime of warmth, humor and steely determination."- Bookpage
"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."—Kirkus Reviews

"Making history is nothing new for adventurous mountaineer, explorer, entrepreneur, author, and activist Silvia Vasquez-Lavado."—Out Magazine

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

About 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.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader on June 19, 2022

Have you ever done a read/listen where you read along while an audiobook is read to you, or alternate between reading and listening the same book? I did a combo of both of those things with this book, and wow, was it ever engaging. The author, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado narrates the audio, which, of cour......more

Goodreads review by Summer on February 01, 2022

The majority of my reads are fiction but occasionally I need an inspiring nonfiction read. When I started reading In The Shadow of the Mountain I had no idea the epic adventure that I was in for. The Shadow of A Mountain is a nonfiction memoir by Sylvia Vasquez-Lavado. Sylvia was working in the male-......more

Goodreads review by Kate The Book Addict on March 04, 2022

I was completely thrilled to win this book in a giveaway for my honest review (thanks so much, Henry Holt & Co) because I’d read books about men climbing various mountains but no women. And no woman like Silvia Vasquez-Lavado. Spoilers: Climbing to the Summit in the last pages through her descriptio......more

Goodreads review by Samantha on September 01, 2021

"What if everything I've been looking for is not just in the shadows but is the shadow itself?" - Silvia Vasquez-Lavado. What if everything you've been looking for in a "memoir of courage" is right here in this book? This story moved me to tears in every chapter. It is heart-wrenching and well-writt......more

Goodreads review by Elise on January 07, 2022

If you read and enjoyed Eat Pray Love you would enjoy reading In the Shadow of the Mountain. Solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ highly recommend!......more


Awards

  • BookPage Best Books of the Year