WINNER Best Memoir of 2024 American Writing Awards
GEORGIA AUTHOR of the YEAR 2025 for Memoir
WINNER Best Memoir Pencraft Literary Excellence
WINNER Best Non-Fiction Adventure Int'l Readers' Favorite
WINNER Best Memoir & Best Travel Self-Discovery The BookFest
BEST READ of 2024 Independent Book Reviews

"Gorgeous...so full of joy, zest and fun, yet profound. Once started you cannot put it down." —Sir Chris Bonington, author of Everest the Hard Way

"...lively, engaging, and funny..."—Meg Wolitzer, New York Times bestselling author of The Interestings

The plan was outrageous: A small expedition of four climbers would attempt a new route on the East Face of Mt. Everest, considered the most remote and dangerous side of the mountain, summitted only once before. They would climb without using supplemental oxygen, porter support, or chance for rescue. Mimi Zieman would accompany the climbers as the doctor—and only woman—although she was still in her third year of medical school.
 
Full of self-doubt, Zieman grappled with whether to go but couldn't resist the call of the wilderness and mountains. On Everest, when three climbers disappeared during their summit attempt, she reached the knife edge of her limits and dug deeply to fight for the climbers' lives and to find her voice.
 
Sparkling with suspense and vulnerability, Tap Dancing on Everest is a true survival story about the risks we take to become our most authentic selves. In this inspiring coming-of-age travel memoir that includes solo hiking through Nepal, Zieman weaves her childhood as the daughter of Jewish immigrants raised in 1970's New York City, her father a Holocaust survivor, with adventure, medicine, and empowerment. She captures the curiosity and awe of a young woman as she faces down messages to stay small and safe and ventures into the unknown.