Beyond the Mountains
An Immigrant's Inspiring Journey of Healing and Learning to Dance with the Universe
Deja Vu Prem
Book Description
The powerful story of how an immigrant from the Philippines overcame childhood trauma and an emotionally abusive marriage to find her voice and thrive
As a child in a small barrio in the Philippines, Deja Vu Prem faced neglect and physical abuse. At age seventeen, desperate to escape her situation and claim a better life for herself beyond the mountains of her town, she became a mail-order bride and moved to San Francisco. But the challenges of her childhood didn’t go away—they merely evolved into the form of her emotionally abusive husband.
Cut off from her family and any kind of emotional or financial support, Prem was a prisoner in her own home, unable even to use the phone or check the mail. But she wasn’t helpless. Relying on her deep faith and the fire within that had always pushed her to achieve, Prem made the brave decision to escape her situation to provide a better life for herself and her two young children.
Recounting Prem’s harrowing yet hopeful journey, Beyond the Mountains is a stirring and moving portrait of one immigrant’s refusal to be defined as a victim and a testament on finding the strength to forgive in order to reclaim the power that lives within us all.
Praise For This Book
Ms., A Most Anticipated Book of the Year"Deja Vu Prem's beautiful, honest memoir Beyond the Mountains describes its author's geographical and spiritual journeys—from the Philippines to the United States, from childhood to maturity, from trauma survivor to evolved woman, and so much more. Most remarkably, anyone who reads it will take their own journey along with the author, who challenges herself to grow each time she faces a painful reckoning and reminds us that love will take us farther than we could ever imagine." —Bethanne Patrick, author of Life B: Overcoming Double Depression
"Deja Vu Prem has led a truly remarkable life. Believing in herself and her potential, and guided by a deeply held spirituality, she has embraced life, overcome adversity, and learned to celebrate joy even in her darkest moments. Beyond the Mountains is a treasure." —Emmanuel Jal, Author of My Life is Art: 11 Pillars for a Positive and Purposeful Life
