We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People

books by Nemonte Nenquimo

Download We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People

From a fearless, internationally acclaimed activist, We Will Be Jaguars is 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 book maintains a steady rhythm that supports immersion without rushing important developments. Readers are given time to absorb key moments, enhancing emotional impact and understanding. The book’s appeal lies in its ability to balance entertainment with substance. While the story remains engaging, it also offers ideas that encourage reflection beyond the immediate narrative.