Took me a minute to get into this, but once I did I was hopelessly hooked. I will be recommending this memoir non-stop. I honestly didn’t know hardly anything about the Amazonian region’s fights against big oil companies. While I’m still very ignorant, this was an amazing place for me to begin leaning.

Thank you Nemonte Nenquimo, Mitch Anderson, RBmedia, and NetGalley for my advanced review audiobook. My opinions are my own.

If I could rate this 10/10 stars, this book would surely surpass it.

We Will Be Jaguars is an incredibly powerful and important Memoir by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson. Nemonte speaks with her heart and soul taking us with her through her heartbreaking moments, revelations, childhood innocence, defeats and triumphs. This is an important book that everyone needs to read, and it deserves to be highly appreciated. I cried with her, I laughed with her, celebrated with her. I felt her fear, worry and disgust. This is a truly tragic history.

Nemonte teaches us the ways of the Amazon, the ways of her people, their beliefs, fears, storytelling, natural medicines, shamanism, and foraging. They live and breathe the rainforest. After reading this memoir, I have increased knowledge about what is going on in the Amazon rainforest and the impacts of the oil companies not only on the rainforest itself but the impacts on the villages and communities intertwined throughout the forest.

Christine Anne-Roche narrated this book perfectly. She was able to transport me right into the Amazon Rainforest through humming songs, sounds of birdcalls. She may be the best narrator I’ve ever listened to.

A massive thank you to Nemonte Nenquimo and RBmedia for an advance copy of this audiobook, this is my 100% honest feedback. I am truly so honored to have the opportunity to read this book.

I wish I could give this 10 stars! Nemonte tells her heartbreaking and inspiring story in such a beautiful way that it was hard to hit pause on it for the night. It was very eye opening and gave me so much to think about.

Christine Anne-Roche did a perfect job of narrating and everything flowed smoothly.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia - Recorded Books for this advanced audiobook copy of memoir. I recommend this book highly and appreciate the chance to share my thoughts.

First, huge praise to Christine Anne-Roche who narrated the audiobook. They were able to transport me to these lands with the trilling of birdcalls and wildlife, which enhanced the overall experience. The names, people, languages, and dialects all were well served with their talents.

This is an important story. This memoir is troubling and full of atrocities. It is uncomfortable to hear/read. I had to stop listening multiple times to re-center. This book is a first hand account of the horrors of colonialism and I'm ashamed to admit I didn't realize this historical event was so recent. We are not talking about a few centuries in the past with grainy photos to insulate us or convince us it was far enough away to be ignored.

The themes in this book are tragic and far more familiar to the modern era than they should be:
Religion as a tool to shame and abuse
Morality as a cudgel to control behavior
Separation from community to isolate and weaken
Governments selling out their people with underhanded and illegal tactics
Corporations destroying natural recourses for a quick buck
Capitalism destroying a way of life and then making displaced groups dependent on their 'good will'

I recommend this book for anyone familiar with the situation or (like me) who know virtually nothing about it. This was well crafted and approachable and worth ever minute.

Born in 1986 into a traditional Amazonian tribe in Ecuador which had only been contacted in her father’s lifetime, Nemonte Nenquimo tells her story, from childhood to a leader of the fight for her people’s land. From gross mistreatment by missionaries to exploitation by the government and oil companies, her people are used as pawns and tools for others when they are simply looking to peacefully exist. It is remarkable to me to have lived contemporaneously with her in such a different way and is a good reminder of the many ways of living in our shared world. I thought this was a remarkable book and I love the passion Nemonte exhibits for protecting her people and homeland. I hope this is widely read; it deserves to be.