



We Will Not Be Saved
A memoir of hope and resistance in the Amazon rainforest (Reese Witherspoon's Book Club Pick)
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5.0 • 4 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
'An unforgettable memoir about fighting for your home and your heart.' - Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club November '24 Pick)
'Full of wisdom, sadness, flourishes of joy and psychedelic visions' GUARDIAN
'Astonishing' IPAPER
'Beautiful and gripping . . . a fascinating work of cultural anthropology, told from the inside' NEW SCIENTIST
'I'm here to tell you my story, which is also the story of my people and the story of this forest.'
Born into the Waorani tribe of Ecuador's Amazon rainforest, Nemonte Nenquimo was taught about plant medicines, foraging, oral storytelling, and shamanism by her elders. Age 14, 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 the spears that her ancestors wielded - honed by her experiences battling loggers, miners, oil companies and missionaries.
In this astonishing memoir, 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.
More praise for We Will Not Be Saved:
'Nemonte's writing is as provocative as it is inspiring' EMMA THOMPSON
'One of the most effective leaders for indigenous rights' LAURENE POWELL JOBS
'A radical manifesto for our times' VANESSA KIRBY
'An act of storytelling generosity' NATHALIE KELLY
'Inspiring, moving and unforgettable' ROWAN HOOPER
'Truly Inspiring and humbling' CAROLINE SANDERSON
** Published in North America as WE WILL BE JAGUARS**
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The fight for Indigenous rights and the battle against climate change are one and the same in this deeply impactful memoir from activist Nemonte Nenquimo. As a member of the Waorani, one of the last tribes in Ecuador’s Amazon to be contacted by white outsiders, Nenquimo spent a brief stint at a missionary school designed to strip her of her ingrained cultural beliefs. It didn’t work. And when she returned to her tribe to find it infiltrated by oil companies, cattle ranchers and foresters, she discovered her true mission: spearheading a movement that achieved landmark protections for acres of Waorani rainforest. Nenquimo’s enthralling first-person account (relayed with her husband, Mitch Anderson) is captivatingly written, even when she’s describing dark, uncomfortable moments, like missionaries claiming they were saving her from becoming “another pregnant jungle girl” and accusing her village boys of being controlled by communists. Prepare to be inspired by Nenquimo’s story and ongoing fight.