In the Shadow of the Mountain

<club-desc-paragraph>Silvia Vasquez-Lavado returns home to Peru deep in the throes of alcoholism, hiding her sexuality, and repressing the abuse she’d suffered as a child. While in Peru, Silvia and her mother do a powerful healing mediation of Ayahuasca, an Amazonian spiritual medicine that can help you heal emotional pain and unlock a higher state of consciousness. That vision shows Silvia to walk among mountains. Silvia took her pain to Chomolungma, the “Mother of the World,” also known as Mount Everest. And this is where her transformation begins.<club-desc-paragraph>

<club-desc-paragraph>Silvia started climbing, and something about the brute force required for the ascent—the restricted oxygen at altitude, the vast expanse of emptiness around her, the risk and spirit and sheer size of the mountains, the nearness of death—woke her up.<club-desc-paragraph>

<club-desc-paragraph>In this powerful and intimate memoir, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado opens up about being a sexual abuse survivor, a recovering alcoholic, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, while also taking readers on a journey of self-discovery and growth all the way to the top of the tallest point in the world.<club-desc-paragraph>

<club-desc-paragraph>On BookClub, Silvia talks with Emma Roberts + Karah Preiss of Belletrist about In the Shadow of the Mountain, including what inspired her to write the book, how the book and her mountaineering changed her, and why it’s so important to talk about trauma in order to heal. Their conversation shows the importance of telling your personal story - both for yourself and for the rest of us.<club-desc-paragraph>