
November '24 Pick
We Will Be Jaguars
Nemonte Nenquimo
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,...
We Will Be Jaguars
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. At age fourteen, she left the forest for the first time to study with an evangelical missionary group in the city. Eventually, her ancestors began appearing in her dreams, pleading with her to return and embrace her own culture. She listened. Two decades later, Nemonte has emerged as one of the most forceful voices in climate change activism. She has spearheaded the 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. Her message is as sharp as a spear—honed by her experiences battling loggers, miners, oil companies and missionaries. In We Will Be Jaguars, she partners with her husband, Mitch Anderson, founder of Amazon Frontlines, digging into generations of oral history, uprooting centuries of conquest, hacking away at racist notions of indigenous peoples, and ultimately revealing a life story as rich, harsh, and vital as the Amazon rainforest herself.
From Our Book Lover-In-Chief
Our November Reese's Book Club pick is We Will Be Jaguars, an unforgettable memoir about fighting for your home and your heart. I was so moved by this story.
We Will Be Jaguars follows the life of internationally acclaimed activist Nemonte Nenquimo and her journey to protect her people and indigenous lands, alongside her husband and writing partner Mitch Anderson.


FROM THE AUTHOR
Nemonte Nenquimo
Nemonte Nenquimo, a Waorani leader, was born in Ecuador’s Amazon, one of the most bio-diverse and threatened rainforests on the planet. She is the co-founder of both the Indigenous-led nonprofit Ceibo Alliance and its partner organization, Amazon Frontlines. Nemonte led her people in an historic legal victory, protecting half a million acres of rainforest from oil and setting a precedent for Indigenous rights across the region. Her leadership has been widely recognized; in 2020, she won the Goldman Environmental Prize for Central and South America and the United Nations’ Champions of the Earth Award. Nemonte was also named in the BBC’s 100 Women list, the TIME list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, the TIME 100 Climate list, and is an honoree of the 2024 TIME Earth Awards. She is also a member of The Earthshot Prize Council. She is the co-author of her acclaimed memoir WE WILL BE JAGUARS, written with her husband and Amazon Frontlines co-founder Mitch Anderson. WE WILL BE JAGUARS is a Reese Book Club pick for November 2024.
Book
Themes
RELATED READS
You Might Like...
Explore and discover previous RBC picks.
Join the book club that puts women
at the center of the discussion.
Sign up to our weekly newsletter and become a member for life.