Leaving Shangrila : The True Story of a Girl, Her Transformation and Her Eventual Escape

Leaving Shangrila is an inspirational coming-of-age story of strength and resilience in the face of tremendous adversity. "I did lie. But what I remember is omitting the truth, never outright lying, simply because nobody ever asked." Set in Brazil, an exotic world is complicated by larger than life characters in Leaving Shangrila. A narcissistic mother laments her failed loves. A monumentally ineffectual father runs away from trouble. A pathologically weak stepfather, a manipulator and predator, leads a cult. And three sisters struggle to survive in this corrupt adult world. Isabelle Gecils finds herself isolated in Shangrila, what should be a lush jungle paradise. In reality, it is a hell on earth. Terrible things happen in this world: manipulation, coercion, lies, and abuse. But this is not a story of terrible things. It is the story of strength and resilience in the face of tremendous adversity. It is the story of a young girl who makes extraordinary choices to survive. An emotional and physical captive in Shangrila, Isabelle finds her freedom by applying her great intelligence toward duplicity. As necessity forces her to descend further and further to survive, she finds, even in this freedom, a prison of a different sort. She is completely and complexly human and a spectacular rebel to root for. This is a remarkable story of a girl, her transformation, and her eventual escape from Shangrila Isabelle paints a colorful world as she tells the tale of how she forged her own path in the midst of turmoil. The story, set in Brazil where she grew up, is populated with fascinating characters, both good and bad. From a narcissistic mother to her perpetually flawed lovers to three resilient sisters, Leaving Shangrilas motley crew make for an endlessly intriguing storyline. Leaving Shangrila begins with young Isabelle, trapped in a hellish world. Surrounded by lies, manipulation, and abuse, Isabelle is desperate to escape the adversity of this place. Filled with tremendous strength and an unyielding drive to survive, she begins her journey toward freedom and self-realization. Through the trials and obstacles along the way, Isabelle goes back and forth to balance who she is with what she must do to survive. With themes of perseverance, self-reliance, and the resilience of the human spirit, Leaving Shangrila: The True Story Of A Girl, Her Transformation and Her Eventual Escape highlights the important character traits one discovers on the path to finding their self. Truly empowering and inspirational, readers everywhere will relate to this coming of age story. Leaving Shangrila: The True Story of A Girl, Her Transformation and Her Eventual Escape by Isabelle Gecils, is the captivating memoir of a charmingly complex heroine. Isabelle paints a colorful world as she tells the tale of how she forged her own path in the midst of turmoil. The story, set in Brazil where she grew up, is populated with fascinating characters, both good and bad. From a narcissistic mother to her perpetually flawed lovers to three resilient sisters, Leaving Shangrila's motley crew make for an endlessly intriguing storyline. Leaving Shangrila begins with young Isabelle, trapped in a hellish world. Surrounded by lies, manipulation, and abuse, Isabelle is desperate to escape the adversity of this place. Filled with tremendous strength and an unyielding drive to survive, she begins her journey toward freedom and self-realization. Through the trials and obstacles along the way, Isabelle goes back and forth to balance who she is with what she must do to survive. Leaving Shangrila is Isabelle Gecils's story—a universal story of the search for belonging and normalcy. Isabelle's search, however, was constantly interrupted by adults who failed her, blocking the attainment of her dreams. Deciding to chart her own path, Isabelle, using limited resources, fought for her freedom, yet the survival skills she acquired to achieve it came back to haunt her.