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Book Trailer
Tap Dancing on Everest
A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure
More than a Memoir: A Journey of Adventure and Empowerment
Discover the story of a 25-year-old medical student who battled vulnerabilities to become the doctor—and only woman—on a daring Everest climb. Tap Dancing on Everest weaves together adventure, medicine, and a powerful narrative of self-discovery.
From the streets of NYC to the slopes of the highest peak on Earth, follow the curiosity and awe of a young woman as she faces down childhood messages to stay small and safe and ventures into the unknown.
“Tap Dancing on Everest” is gorgeous. It is so full of joy, zest and fun and yet with some profound thoughts. Once started you cannot put it down."
- Sir Chris Bonington
Author of Everest the Hard Way, knighted for his services to mountaineering
Available Now
Released April 2, 2024
“With a poetic vision that is staggering in its honesty and beauty, Mimi Zieman brings readers into the heart of a Himalayan ascent, guiding us along some of the unexpected pathways that intense adventures can trace in both body and mind.”
- Katie Ives
Imaginary Peaks: The Riesenstein Hoax and Other Mountain Dreams
“Tap Dancing on Everest is that rare book that manages to capture the adrenaline rush of a thrilling adventure and the gut-wrenching pathos of an epic tragedy. Mimi Zieman is telling a story that readers will be unable to put down... I was utterly captivated by this story. You will be, too.”
- Steve Almond
All the Secrets of the World
“Mimi Zieman’s book is an ideal alchemy of grit and grace. The lessons Zieman learns on the mountain are important lessons for us all. A wild and deeply satisfying journey.”
- Emily Rapp Black
The Still Point of The Turning World
“The best ascent of Everest in terms and style of pure adventure.”
- Reinhold Messner
The first man to solo Everest
“Mimi Zieman is brave, tough, and impressive when on Everest, and lively, engaging, and funny when on the page. After returning from her climb, she says she was “very grateful for ceilings.” I myself, am grateful for her vivid recounting of all her journeys.”
- Meg Wolitzer
The Interestings
More Advanced Praise for Tap Dancing on Everest
“The story takes place on a frozen summit but is bound to melt your heart. The courage that drove her to this unlikely adventure permeates her candid recounting of her breathtaking tale.”
- Etgar Keret
The Seven Good Years
“From page one, Tap Dancing on Everest draws you into the heart-stopping world of mountaineering. An engaging narrative rich in details and vulnerability, the story captures the adventure in reaching beyond one's comfort zone and into the unknown."
- Johanna Garton
Edge of the Map: The Mountain Life of Christine Boskoff
“In beautiful prose, Zieman brings us into her family’s Jewish immigrant roots, her city childhood, her dream to become a dancer, and how climbing and adventure helped her reconcile her past with the woman she became.”
- Ann Hood
Comfort: A Journey Through Grief
“[This] story touched me deeply.”
- Dr. Tom Hornbein
Everest: The West Ridge
and High-altitude medicine researcher
“A captivating story, seldom told, about what it’s like to take care of Everest climbers from the perspective of a feisty expedition doctor. This page-turner is a must-read for real and armchair adventurers everywhere.”
- Stephen Venables
Alone at the Summit
First British man to summit Everest without oxygen
“The small band that formed the Everest ’88 team will be remembered as free spirits who went to the unknown and embraced the true spirit of adventure, a far cry from today’s narrative on Everest, and an essential addition to mountain literature. In Tap Dancing on Everest, expedition doctor Mimi Zieman brings to life the toll experienced by non-climbers on an expedition, what it was truly like not knowing if her teammates would return, and ultimately, what it took to heal their wounds. While recalling her tap-dancing days, this book is also a metaphor of a different kind of tap dance, that of survival on the roof of the world.”
- Norbu Tenzing Norgay
Vice President of the American Himalayan Foundation,and son of Tenzing Norgay
“Mimi Zieman's compelling and very personal memoir recounts with warmth and insight how her father survived the holocaust, her challenging childhood, her courage and determination in the face of continued obstacles, and the passion and persistence that bring her to the roof of the world.”
- Arlene Blum
Annapurna: A Woman's Place
“By turns gripping and charming, tragic and joyful, Zieman’s rocky, ultimately revelatory journey shows how the true triumph of the summit is the discovery of her calling.”
- Allison K Williams
Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book
about mimi.
Mimi Zieman has treated frozen limbs on the highest mountain, delivered triplets near the deepest ocean trench, tap danced through Broadway studios, and has been a suburban mom of three – all experiences that have prepared her for new challenges. Her latest is writing Tap Dancing on Everest, about the risks we take to become our truest selves.
Her recent play, The Post-Roe Monologues, has been performed in several cities. She has co-authored sixteen editions of Managing Contraception and her writing has appeared The Sun Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Newsweek, Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, NBC news THINK, The Forward, and other publications. She has spoken nationally and internationally, and has been interviewed by multiple major media outlets.
Her early career at Emory University School of Medicine included the roles of Associate Professor, Director of Medical Students, and founder and director of a Fellowship in Family Planning. She was a founding member of the scientific Society of Family Planning, and a member of the CDC committees that wrote guidelines on U.S. contraceptive care. She is a passionate advocate for reproductive rights and has testified before the Georgia Legislature several times against bills that have no basis in science.
Far from her New York City roots, home base is Atlanta, with no high mountain or deep ocean in sight, where she doesn’t eat grits, biscuits, or collards, and must navigate ten lane highways. But she’s grown to love Southern hospitality, her community of friends, and the canopy of trees which keeps her grounded.
The Post-Roe Monologues
Diverse people affected by the new world order post-Roe, tell their stories in poignant monologues highlighted by humor.
The Post-Roe Monologues by Mimi Zieman presents a diverse cast of characters—inspired by true stories, interviews, and research—who deliver poignant monologues, and who interact in surprising ways. Those interactions underlie the theme of “we are all connected,” because although people may think that the Dobbs Supreme Court ruling doesn’t affect them – it does. These stories are intimate. These stories increase understanding, compassion, and motivate action.
The November show at Merkin Hall in NYC featured 15 Broadway performers.
personal essays
Mount Everest was the riskiest place I had practiced medicine until I became an OB/GYN in the South, Salon, Read
Climbing Mount Everest Just got a little less dangerous, Boston Globe, Read
On the Anniversary of Dobbs, Women in the South Should Start Taking Pregnancy tests monthly, Newsweek, Read
The Bus, The Sun Magazine Read >
Matzo at 18,000 feet — what it’s like to lead a Seder on Mount Everest, The Forward, Read >
Beaming Bridge, Five Minute Lit, Read >
What the Christian Right Gets Wrong About Birth Control, Ms. Magazine, Read >
The Versailles, Dorothy Parker's Ashes, Read >
Anti-abortion bills don't only harm women seeking the service, NBC News THINK, Read >
Appreciating Humanity in the Vaccine Clinic, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Read >
RBG’s Legacy Is a Call to Pursue Justice, Atlanta Jewish Times, Read >
authored chapters
Operative Gynecology
