Isabelle Gecils
When I moved to the United States as teenager, I left my previous life behind. From that moment on, I became a new person. I did not think about my past, did not talk about it, and did not think that I would ever feel compelled to.
But in 2004, my son was born. By then, I had surrounded myself with friends and love, when earlier in my life I felt mostly alone and abandoned.
I found myself relatively successful professionally, using the financial security that it provided to mask that I grew up without means, often wearing tattered, stained clothing. My travels around the world hid the fact that I had not been anywhere beyond the walls of a round house in the middle of a jungle in Brazil and its nearby town of Petropolis, until I first set foot in America. Most importantly, I was the owner of my destiny, free to make choices that would keep both me, and now my newborn son, safe. A privilege that eluded me throughout my childhood.
It was hovering over my son’s crib that I felt the need to tell my story. I felt the calling to share with my son the story of the immense struggle to free myself from the circumstances where fate had placed me, that enable me to offer him a life free - to the extent that I could provide it - of fear, of lies and of loneliness. A gift that I had not been able to enjoy.
And I started writing Leaving Shangrila was born. I wrote this book in fits and spurts, when I found a moment among raising my family, building a business and having a life.
By then, I had a built an entire business focused on numbers and economic and business models. I can make spreadsheets sing! Writing? I had written various technical papers with the findings of my analysis, but that would not translate well into a book. So I applied to the Stanford Creative Nonfiction Certificate program, with the purpose of obtaining guidance on how to write a book I am proud of.
It would have been easy to give up on this project and on this journey. My life was so hectic with various responsibilities and little time. But the more I wrote, the more I wanted to write. The more of Leaving Shangrila I shared with my classmates at Stanford over the ensuing 2.5 years, the more excited I felt about the universal appeal of my story and the power behind its message: that irrespective of where comes from and the adversities they face, we can end up with a different, better life, by rejecting lies and dysfunction.
I learned that we climb mountains one step at a time. So, It took me years to publish Leaving Shangrila. Along the way, I learned that this story was meant not only meant for my son (who has read it multiple times now), but for anyone who ever felt compelled to live a life of their choosing, not the one others create for them.
But in 2004, my son was born. By then, I had surrounded myself with friends and love, when earlier in my life I felt mostly alone and abandoned.
I found myself relatively successful professionally, using the financial security that it provided to mask that I grew up without means, often wearing tattered, stained clothing. My travels around the world hid the fact that I had not been anywhere beyond the walls of a round house in the middle of a jungle in Brazil and its nearby town of Petropolis, until I first set foot in America. Most importantly, I was the owner of my destiny, free to make choices that would keep both me, and now my newborn son, safe. A privilege that eluded me throughout my childhood.
It was hovering over my son’s crib that I felt the need to tell my story. I felt the calling to share with my son the story of the immense struggle to free myself from the circumstances where fate had placed me, that enable me to offer him a life free - to the extent that I could provide it - of fear, of lies and of loneliness. A gift that I had not been able to enjoy.
And I started writing Leaving Shangrila was born. I wrote this book in fits and spurts, when I found a moment among raising my family, building a business and having a life.
By then, I had a built an entire business focused on numbers and economic and business models. I can make spreadsheets sing! Writing? I had written various technical papers with the findings of my analysis, but that would not translate well into a book. So I applied to the Stanford Creative Nonfiction Certificate program, with the purpose of obtaining guidance on how to write a book I am proud of.
It would have been easy to give up on this project and on this journey. My life was so hectic with various responsibilities and little time. But the more I wrote, the more I wanted to write. The more of Leaving Shangrila I shared with my classmates at Stanford over the ensuing 2.5 years, the more excited I felt about the universal appeal of my story and the power behind its message: that irrespective of where comes from and the adversities they face, we can end up with a different, better life, by rejecting lies and dysfunction.
I learned that we climb mountains one step at a time. So, It took me years to publish Leaving Shangrila. Along the way, I learned that this story was meant not only meant for my son (who has read it multiple times now), but for anyone who ever felt compelled to live a life of their choosing, not the one others create for them.
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more