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A review by j_m_alexander
In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Silvia Vasquez-Lavado: Mountaineer! Survivor! Fighter! Daughter! Lover! Trail-blazer!
There is much one could say about Silvia Vasquez-Lavado. There is certainly a lot that she says about herself, and it's not all pretty. From the heart-wrenching traumas of her childhood, to realizations and trials related to her sexuality, career successes, social excesses, relationship struggles, and some growth. Vasquez-Lavado shares her story in detail, some of which is difficult to read and some that many likely find to be simply "over-sharing", but hey it's her book, her journey, and she never said she was going to give the sanitized sitcom version where they never show the characters eat or go to the bathroom - in this book you will get the nitty gritty details of an Everest ascent and of a rocky journey toward healing.
There is much one could say about Silvia Vasquez-Lavado. There is certainly a lot that she says about herself, and it's not all pretty. From the heart-wrenching traumas of her childhood, to realizations and trials related to her sexuality, career successes, social excesses, relationship struggles, and some growth. Vasquez-Lavado shares her story in detail, some of which is difficult to read and some that many likely find to be simply "over-sharing", but hey it's her book, her journey, and she never said she was going to give the sanitized sitcom version where they never show the characters eat or go to the bathroom - in this book you will get the nitty gritty details of an Everest ascent and of a rocky journey toward healing.
“As I stood looking out at the view, the answer was so clear I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it before. Everest was not about me. I wasn't supposed to be doing it alone. I wasn't supposed to be scaling mountains and staking my flag at their peaks like some modern-day conquistadora. It was about what I had to offer, what I had to give to a community--to women, to girls, like me. I had to keep my promise to climb Everest, but I was supposed to bring others with me. Other women like me. Survivors. That had been the message all along.”
This memoir does jump back and forth in time, which I think mostly works, but it wasn't always perfectly smooth and clear. There are some beliefs or proclamations that I wish were further explored/explained and a very few that could have been left out completely (does the brief explanation of "Type T" add much?). A little messy, not perfect, but it's a memoir of a real human, one that isn't perfect and is often a bit of a mess, but it's also a courageous telling full of perseverance and genuine heart.