We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People

Nemonte Nenquimo, Mitch Anderson

Book cover for We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People
Book cover for We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People

We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People

We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People

Nemonte Nenquimo, Mitch Anderson

Member Benefits

  • 30% Off All Books - Savings that support storytellers, not stock prices.
  • Fight Book Bans - Every membership sends a book to LGBTQ+ youth in affected states.
Member Book Price
$28.00 $19.60
Non-Member Book Price $28.00

An annual membership will be billed at $48/year.

Discount applies to first-time members only. Already a member? Log in here.

View full details

Description

From a fearless, internationally acclaimed activist, an impassioned memoir about an indigenous childhood, a clash of cultures, and the fight to save the Amazon rainforest and protect her people

Born into the Waorani tribe of Ecuador's Amazon rainforest--one of the last to be contacted by missionaries in the 1950s--Nemonte Nenquimo had a singular upbringing. She was taught about plant medicines, foraging, oral storytelling, and shamanism by her elders. She played barefoot in the forest and didn't walk on pavement, or see a car, until she was a teenager and left to study with an evangelical missionary group in the city. But after Nemonte's ancestors began appearing in her dreams, pleading with her to return and embrace her own culture, she listened.

Nemonte returned to the forest and traditional ways of life and became one of the most forceful voices in climate change activism. She spearheaded an alliance of indigenous nations across the Upper Amazon and led her people to a landmark victory against Big Oil, protecting over a half million acres of primary rainforest.

We Will Be Jaguars is an astonishing memoir by an equally astonishing woman. Nenquimo digs into generations of oral history, uprooting centuries of conquest, and hacking away at racist notions of Indigenous peoples. Ultimately, she reveals a life story as rich, harsh, and vital as the Amazon rainforest herself.

About the Author

Nemonte Nenquimo is a leader of the Waorani people, co-founder of the Ceibo Alliance, and an internationally acclaimed activist. Born in the Amazon region of Ecuador in 1985, she is a winner of the 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize and was named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2020 list (lauded by Leonardo DiCaprio). Mitch Anderson is the founder and executive director of Amazon Frontlines, which supports the struggles of Indigenous peoples to defend their rights to land, life, and cultural survival in the Amazon rainforest. A native of the Bay Area, he is Nemonte's partner, and they have two young children.

Critical Reviews

"Full of wisdom, sadness, flourishes of joy and more than a few psychedelic visions, We Will Not be Saved is testament not only to Nenquimo's resilience but also her deep spiritual connection to her land and ancestors. ... [It] plant[s] readers right in the heart of the rainforest, immersing them in its sounds, smells and kaleidoscopic landscapes. Many are the memoirs that profess to tell untold stories, but here that claim is watertight."-- "The Guardian"

"If you want to understand the climate crisis and do something about it, read this book. Nemonte's writing is as provocative as it is inspiring, a heroine speaking her truth which is exactly what we need to hear. Had we listened long ago to these voices we wouldn't be in the eye of the storm now."-- "Emma Thompson"

"We Will Be Jaguars is the story of the humanity and fierce determination of Nemonte Nenquimo, one of the most effective leaders for Indigenous rights and environmental justice. In her gripping memoir, Nenquimo shares her journey from childhood to warrior leader, fighting the forces of greed and destruction that threaten the Waorani People and their vast, spectacular rainforest. Her story highlights the love and strength required to overcome the forces that threaten our planet."-- "Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and president, Emerson Collective"

"On one level, Nemonte Nenquimo's memoir is inspiring, moving, and unforgettable; a rarely seen, firsthand insight into a childhood spent in the Amazon rainforest and the extraordinary story of her fight to save it from oil companies. On another level, this intimate and motivating book should spur action from all of us: the fight to save our planet from exploitation is something that affects us all and is the responsibility of us all. Nenquimo's leadership and example should shame those of us in industrialized countries into changing the way we live and the way we see our world."-- "Rowan Hooper, author of How to Save the World for Just a Trillion Dollars and senior editor of the New Scientist"


"Everyone should read this--never has a book been more urgent. Truly soul-stirring, Nemonte's book is a radical manifesto for our times. It moved me to tears. Her story flows like a mighty river, and I was utterly taken by its current."
-- "Vanessa Kirby, actress and activist"

Publishing Information

Publisher: Abrams Press
Pub date: 2024-09-17
Length: 288 pages

The Allstora Membership

Membership Perks:

  • Save 30% on all online store purchases
  • Exclusive access to author's content
  • You pay less, but authors still earn double

Membership Terms:

First Month: $0.00
Monthly price: $5.00
  • To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
  • One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.