Reviews

Parts of this were really beautiful, but I found myself repeatedly jarred out of enjoying Vasquez-Lavado's reflections by the casual biphobia and frankly weird framing of her nonbinary mountaineering mentee's pronouns/experiences. Expected more thoughtful writing from a queer author!

thereadingrunnner's review against another edition

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3.0

I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for my honest review.

I was really excited to receive a copy of this memoir. Silvia Vasquez-Lavado, in her quest for healing and subsequently giving back to others, spearheaded an organization geared towards helping victims regain their internal strength through mountainous climbing adventures. There are definite triggers in her story so take heed - sexual abuse, alcoholism, suicide and severe depression. As enlightening as Silvia is - so admirable and a true warrior, I had a difficult time wanting to pick this up and read. The depression in it felt crippling to me and I didn't want to feel those feelings. I think this is a testament to her writing that I felt her aching depression, but your mental game better be in a good spot to tackle this one. While her climbing does play a drastic role in her overcoming, I wish I felt more of the power of that "I made it, I'm going to be ok" mentality but it wasn't there for me. I felt even the summit had a bit of sadness to it as Silvia makes her offering at the top.
I love nature and while I am not a climber, I could definitely relate to how her adventures in reaching the summit and leading a group of women to base camp as a means to gain inner strength and help heal is truly a process that works. I believe any endurance event whether it be climbing, triathalons, marathons, hiking, etc can tap into a feeling of self confidence and strength people don't realize they have inside of them.
This is also a story of coming into forgiveness. In order to heal, Silvia has to learn to forgive - her parents, herself - it is only through forgiveness and compassion that we can truly heal and rise above. It is one of the most difficult things and seeing (reading) how Silvia is able to do this is inspiring. One can continue to blame people for their circumstances, or rise above in spite of them. Silvia takes the brave route and ultimately is able to rise above.

bridge_overbooked's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

4.5

This was an incredibly powerful story & one that I think more people should read! I imagine that it's difficult to intertwine stories of abuse, female empowerment, mountaineering, queer exploration, & family trauma, but somehow the author does it in a way that seems natural. All of the things that she went through really put everyday issues into perspective.

"In the Shadow of the Mountain" is a memoir that chronicles the author's journey of healing and self-discovery through mountaineering. After experiencing trauma and addiction, Vasquez-Lavado finds solace in climbing, eventually becoming the first openly gay woman to complete the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent. The book intertwines her personal struggles with her physical challenges on the mountains, offering an inspiring narrative of resilience and empowerment. Vasquez-Lavado's story highlights the power of confronting one's inner demons while pushing physical limits in extreme environments.

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