Not Just the Mountains Are White

By Kiki Tapiero

When Kiki Tapiero embarks on the Salkantay Trek as a twenty-one-year-old, she quickly realizes that she is completely unprepared for the journey - both physically and mentally. While the oxygen levels compromise whether she will even be able to reach Machu Picchu, the rest of the group's comments and actions leave her unexpectedly isolated. Kiki is reminded of her upbringing as a multiracial kid in a mostly white town in Massachusetts - but having just obtained a sociology degree at Brown University, she has more vocabulary and confidence to address the racialized dynamics at play. Yet at the same time, she is made painfully aware of some of her deepest insecurities in her racial identity, from not feeling Latinx enough because of her imperfect Spanish to feeling like the stereotyped angry woman of color who plays the race card too much.

As the hike progresses, so does Kiki's relationship with the charismatic Peruvian tour guide, Julio. Her developing feelings for Julio create further tension between her and the group, and she quickly learns that she cannot be open about this crush. However, Julio seems to reciprocate her feelings through covert moments of intimacy that soon devolve into exciting late-night escapades in his tent and dancing in town. Their brewing romance provides more insight into how Kiki can make peace with her identity, and also with nature and its fraught historical relationship with communities of color.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DYZSNSPN
• ISBN13: 9798309915156
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"