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Description of  In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage

In climbing the Seven Summits, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado did nothing less than take back her own lifeone 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 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 shed 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 deaths close proximitywoke her up. She then took her biggest pain as a survivor to the biggest mountain: Everest. The Mother of the World, as its known in Nepal, allows few to reach her summit, but Silvia didnt 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 Everests 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. Read more