Bioneers Learning Book Club
April 8 & 15, 2025

We Will Be Jaguars

A Memoir of My People

By Nemonte Nenquimo & Mitch Anderson

REGISTER NOW

Channel the spirit of the jaguar: bold, resilient, and fiercely protective of the future.

The Bioneers Learning Book Club is honored to present an extraordinary new experience featuring “We Will Be Jaguars,” the powerful memoir by Nemonte Nenquimo. This groundbreaking book, a Reese’s Book Club Pick and one of Library Journal’s Best Nonfiction Books of the Year, offers an unparalleled glimpse into the life of a fearless climate activist and Indigenous leader.

More than just a memoir, “We Will Be Jaguars” is a call to action—a bold vision for protecting our planet rooted in generations of Indigenous wisdom and resilience. Together, through this book club, we’ll not only explore Nemonte’s inspiring journey but also gather as a community to empower one another and discover actionable ways to champion change in our own lives and beyond.

Join us to reflect, connect, and draw strength from both this extraordinary story and the collective power of shared learning.

Register for this book club by March 3, and you’ll be automatically entered to win a free copy of “We Will Be Jaguars”!* 

*Winners will be notified by March 7; everyone else should order a copy.
 

 

Exclusive Author Session: April 15

This book club goes beyond reading We Will Be Jaguars—it’s a rare opportunity to connect directly with the voices behind the story. Join us for a live virtual session featuring Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson as they share personal insights into their journey, the fight to protect the Amazon, and the power of Indigenous leadership in climate activism.

Participants will have the chance to ask questions, gain a deeper understanding, and connect with a global community united in a shared vision for meaningful change. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation and the opportunity to explore how we can all contribute to a thriving future for our planet.

This book club will take place Apr. 8, 2025 from 12 - 1:30 p.m. (PT) and Apr. 15, 2025 from 12 - 2 p.m. (PT). Sessions will be held via Zoom, and recordings will be available for registrants not able to attend a session. To participate, please be sure to have your own copy of "We Will Be Jaguars." Order your copy today.

1st Session

Tuesday, April 8
12 - 1:30 p.m. (PT)

2nd Session

Tuesday, April 15
12 - 2 p.m. (PT)

Duration

90 min - 2 hrs

Format

Live online via Zoom

Cost

$20

About the Book

“We Will Be Jaguars” is a pathbreaking memoir from Indigenous leader Nemonte Nenquimo, who fought Big Oil to preserve her peoples’ territories and hundreds of thousands of acres of pristine rainforest. Written with her husband and Executive Director of Amazon Frontlines Mitch Anderson, the book is a memoir of hope and resistance in the Amazon rainforest.

“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 by her elders about plant medicines, foraging, oral storytelling, and shamanism. At 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 Mitch Anderson to dig 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.

Reviews & Recommendations

“An essential memoir of Indigenous resistance to economic subjugation and cultural extinction.”

Kirkus Reviews

“We Will Be Jaguars is a beautiful memoir of the Amazon rainforest, resistance, and love.”

Leonardo DiCaprio

“If you want to understand the climate crisis and do something about it, read this book.”

Emma Thompson

“One of the most effective leaders for indigenous rights and environmental justice.”

Laurene Powell Jobs

“An act of story-telling generosity unlike any other.”

Nathalie Kelley

“An unforgettable memoir about fighting for your home and your heart.”

Reese Witherspoon

“Truly soul-stirring, Nemonte’s book is a radical manifesto for our times.”

Vanessa Kirby

Meet the Authors

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.

Photo © Christopher Fragapane / Amazon Frontlines

Mitch Anderson is co-founder and executive director of Amazon Frontlines, a nonprofit organization based in the Upper Amazon, which works hand-in-hand with Indigenous peoples to secure their guardianship of the Amazon rainforest. In 2011, he moved to Ecuador’s northern Amazon to start a grassroots clean water project with Indigenous communities living downriver from contaminating oil operations. Through building more than 1,000 clean water systems in over 70 villages, Mitch supported the formation of both Amazon Frontlines and the Ceibo Alliance, an Indigenous-led nonprofit that won the prestigious UN Equator Prize. Amazon Frontlines’ work in partnership with Indigenous peoples has achieved some of the most significant victories for the Amazon rainforest and climate in recent times, inspiring millions of people worldwide. Amazon Frontlines is the recipient of the 2024 Hilton Humanitarian Prize and the first organization of Indigenous and Western human rights and climate activists to receive the Prize.

Photo © Christopher Fragapane / Amazon Frontlines

About the Book club program

Join us for two enriching sessions where participants will gather online, guided by the experienced host Amy Lenzo. Known for her dynamic Community Conversations events with Bioneers Learning, Amy will lead our discussions with valuable expertise.

Amy Lenzo, who pioneered the World Cafe online process and has hosted hundreds of online World Cafes with people from all over the world since then, has been hosting conscious online engagement for over a decade and has been a cutting-edge leader in creating distinctly human interactive online spaces that help us connect with ourselves, each other and the natural world.

Why You Should Participate

  • Meet the Author: Have the chance to interact with Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson, who will join us on April 15th for a special session to share their insights and answer your questions.
  • Connect with a Community: Engage with like-minded individuals committed to creating a better world.

  • Exclusive Access: Get exclusive content and resources related to the book and its themes.

  • Interactive Activities: Dive into activities and discussions designed to deepen your connection to the material.

To participate in this book club event, please be sure to have your own copy of "We Will Be Jaguars"

Order Your Copy Today
Register for the Book Club