A story of determination, survival, and the indomitable human spirit, Above the Mountain’s Shadow: A Journey of Hope and Adventure Inspired by the Forgotten is an incredible story of one woman’s quest to empower the women of the world, one peak at a time. Growing up in Iran after the Islamic Revolution, Sara Safari enjoyed very few personal freedoms and little rights under the law, living an existence marked by oppression and limitations. In response to her childhood experiences, Sara was motivated to empower marginalized women everywhere—and what better way to show young girls that they can do anything than to stand on top of the world? This book recounts the exhilarating tale of Sara’s climb to the top of Mount Everest, a journey fraught with obstacles and life-threatening peril. From having never climbed a mountain in her life to ascending Everest during a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, Sara’s journey is as thrilling as it is inspirational.

Sara Safari is an author, speaker, mountain climber, advocate for women’s empowerment, and board member of Empower Nepali Girls. She has been awarded the Global Citizen Award from the United Nations in recognition of her humanitarian work. Jeffrey Kottler is an impassioned humanitarian and the founder of Empower Nepali Girls, a nonprofit that protects and mentors lower caste Nepali girls, a group at great risk to be forced into early marriage or sold into sex slavery. Jeffrey is clinical professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the author of over 100 nonfiction books.