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Laura Coleman

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The Puma Years: A Memoir Kindle Edition

by Laura Coleman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 12,617 ratings

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In this rapturous memoir, writer and activist Laura Coleman shares the story of her liberating journey in the Amazon jungle, where she fell in love with a magnificent cat who changed her life.

Laura was in her early twenties and directionless when she quit her job to backpack in Bolivia. Fate landed her at a wildlife sanctuary on the edge of the Amazon jungle where she was assigned to a beautiful and complex puma named Wayra. Wide-eyed, inexperienced, and comically terrified, Laura made the scrappy, make-do camp her home. And in Wayra, she made a friend for life.

They weren’t alone, not with over a hundred quirky animals to care for, each lost and hurt in their own way: a pair of suicidal, bra-stealing monkeys, a frustrated parrot desperate to fly, and a pig with a wicked sense of humor. The humans, too, were cause for laughter and tears. There were animal whisperers, committed staff, wildly devoted volunteers, handsome heartbreakers, and a machete-wielding prom queen who carried Laura through. Most of all, there was the jungle—lyrical and alive—and there was Wayra, who would ultimately teach Laura so much about love, healing, and the person she was capable of becoming.

Set against a turbulent and poignant backdrop of deforestation, the illegal pet trade, and forest fires, The Puma Years explores what happens when two desperate creatures in need of rescue find one another.

Print length

321 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Little A
Publication date

June 1, 2021
File size

7634 KB
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Popular Highlights in this book

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Leaving isn’t a failure. Not if I choose to do something I’m proud of every day. And I’m so lucky to be able to choose. This is the gift of my privilege.
Highlighted by 530 Kindle readers
When the last tree is cut, when the last animal is hunted, when the last river is polluted, it will be then that man will realise that money cannot be eaten . . .
Highlighted by 461 Kindle readers
Over and over, she’s taught me that maybe it does hurt to get close to someone. But also, maybe, it’s worth it. A million times, it’s worth it.
Highlighted by 453 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

Review

An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Biographies & Memoirs

“The Puma Years is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the animals rescued by a sanctuary, Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi, in Bolivia. And it is the heartwarming story of the relationship that grew up between Laura Coleman and a puma, a relationship that only deepened over the years. I visited the sanctuary years ago—what a wonderful place, dedicated staff and passionate volunteers. Engaging and inspiring—you will love this book.” —Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace

“Coleman’s adrenaline rush–inducing debut transports readers along on her 2007 adventure to the Amazon jungle of Bolivia…Coleman’s purpose-finding journey also offers a call to action for addressing the heartbreaking circumstances of wild animals in peril.” —Publishers Weekly

“Readers will be hooked by Coleman’s compelling storytelling right from the opening pages…There are poignant breakthroughs, unsettling setbacks, terrifying dangers, narrow escapes, heartbreaking separations and reunions, and hookups and relationships, all channeled through Coleman’s honest, wry, self-effacing, and always entertaining narrative…This is an amazing tale, one that readers will remember.” —Booklist (starred review)

“A funny and compelling true story of courage, endurance, and self-discovery. The Puma Years is a hymn to the sorrows and joys of finding kinship with the animal world.” —Gregory Norminton, author and environmentalist

“Impassioned, honest, unexpected and often very funny. A book about being consumed by the wild, in all its difficulty and damage, with a vivid cast of humans and animals.” —Nick Hunt, author of Where The Wild Winds Are

“The Puma Years is an utterly wonderful book. It is a memoir, a love letter to a puma, and through that love comes the utter heartbreak of the forests. It is not just astonishingly good as a book, but it brings to life the full earthy reality of the forests, its swamps and iridescence, its wild beauty and rottingness, while so poignantly articulating its destruction. It is quite brilliant.” —Jay Griffiths, author of Wild: An Elemental Journey and Why Rebel

“Wow. The Puma Years is one of my favourite books of recent years. It is a stunning, moving love story told in such vivid, alive, and poetic prose you can smell the mud of the jungle and hear the symphony of animals coming off the page. I couldn’t put it down but didn’t want it to end. Coleman is a brilliant story-teller who generously invites us into her relationship with Wayra and in so doing tells us something profound about respectful kinship between species. This book will stay with me.” —Lucy Jones, author of Losing Eden

“Laura Coleman has given us a wise and wonderful and deeply moving book. After reading it, I now find myself even more in love and awe at the furred and flippered and feathered things with which we share this glorious and fragile planet.” —Niall Griffths, author of Sheep Shagger

“Brave, tender, thrilling, and inspiring. Coleman is a fresh, vital, and powerful voice.” —Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast

From the Publisher

It is said that the key to happiness is three things: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. Laura finds all three in the unlikeliest of places, and none of them is quite what she expected. I challenge you to read the first page of her memoir and not want to continue spending time with her as she stumbles into a makeshift camp full of misfit humans and animals in the middle of the jungle. She is so completely out of her comfort zone, so terrified of the jungle and everything in it, but she also finds herself uncharacteristically driven to stick it out. And when she does, she is rewarded beyond anything she could have imagined. How could she have known, for example, that the most important relationship of her adult life would be with a heartbroken and highly neurotic puma who would finally teach her how to trust and be trusted?

Oh, the animals! You come to know and love them all. Lorenzo, the parrot who is afraid to fly and infatuated with a human; Panchita, the kleptomaniac pig you don’t want to get on the wrong side of; and of course, Coco and Faustino, a quirky pair of monkeys with a backstory who keep a stash of stolen bras in the roof, sulk when scolded, and cuddle up with the humans in their sleeping bags at night...invited or not. And then there is the jungle, described by Laura in such vivid, lush, and beautiful language that it seems to be a living and breathing thing—a force of nature with the power to change your life, as it did for Laura, who learns that once the jungle finds its way into your soul, there is simply no going home again.

- Liza Darnton, Editor

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B089SQN5WQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little A (June 1, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 1, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 7634 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #43,847 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #8 in Adventure Travel (Kindle Store)
- #10 in General South America Travel Guides
- #36 in Travel (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 12,617 ratings

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Laura Coleman

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Laura was born in Sussex, in the south of England. In 2007 she went to Bolivia and joined the NGO, Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi (CIWY), which manages three wildlife sanctuaries and gives homes to animals rescued from illegal wildlife trafficking. It was this work, the communities and the stories that she found there, that, in 2012, inspired her to start the Brighton-based organization ONCA. Panthera onca means jaguar. Bridging social and environmental justice issues with creativity, ONCA promotes positive change by facilitating inclusive spaces for creative learning, artist support, story-sharing and community solidarity. In 2018, Laura moved to the Isle of Eigg in Scotland with her friend and companion, a dog called Nelo. She lives and writes by the sea, whilst still being on the board of ONCA and Friends of Inti Wara Yassi, the UK charity that supports CIWY’s work. For more information visit www.lauracoleman.co.uk.

Proceeds from this book are going to support Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi’s work fighting the illegal wildlife trade, supporting local communities and providing safe homes to those who need them. If you too would like to help, either by volunteering or making a donation, please visit CIWY’s website: www.intiwarayassi.org.

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Vivid, touching, incredible

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2023

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Review of "The Puma Years"
Hot Toasty Rag

Laura Coleman was a twenty-something caught up in the modern London rat-race. She put tons of importance on social status, surface interactions, and people-pleasing for no real purpose. Something inside her snapped, and she decided to take some time off to volunteer at an animal rescue shelter in Bolivia. Yes, Bolivia. Her memoir, The Puma Years, doesn’t sugarcoat anything. She doesn’t just say, “There was no indoor plumbing,” and let it go at that. She describes the compost toilet in detail, from the feces-covered, flimsy walls to the brightly colored spider who lives there and watches over every bowel movement (whom she later names Hagrid). She doesn’t list mosquitoes, worms and tics; she makes you question her mental health that she would actually stay in Bolivia. Indeed, there were times when I truly believed Coleman had lost her mind. Voluntarily opting to live in such horrific circumstances year after year at the expense of her health and basic functionalities didn’t seem like the act of a sane person. Surely she and the other workers at the shelter were no longer in possession of their faculties!
Volunteers were housed in un-floored little shacks, which also housed any number of critters. When she first arrived and saw some of the folks choosing to sleep in the bunker with the monkeys, she thought they were nuts. Breathing in monkey feces all night long isn’t healthy! Of course, as she adjusted, she too wanted to sleep with the monkeys, no matter how much feces was smeared on the walls and collected in the sheets. Food was questionable, and she often sustained herself on cigarettes, coffee, and a potent “energy plant” that was like Red Bull turned into chewing tobacco. Naturally, living on such little nutrition, fearing constant danger, breathing in animal feces, and allowing parasites to live inside her body without proper (or improper, really) medical care, led me to the conclusion that Coleman wasn’t in her right mind.
If this were just a novel, I would have thought it a beautiful story. The sections where she bonded with the wild, frightened puma (which is the point of the story, folks) are very touching. The large cat, though technically capable of doing great damage, was gentle and just needed a little kindness. Reading about the first time the puma purred and let Coleman pet her stirred something in my heart. As I read a kindle version of this book, all the photos were pushed to the end. Looking at the photographs of most of the animals written about in the book, and several shots of the camp itself, was so touching. I felt quite emotional when I saw the love, peacefulness, and innocence reflected in Wayra the puma’s face. If you’re an animal lover at all, you will absolutely read this book over and over. You might not buy a ticket to Bolivia, but you will definitely think twice before you go to the zoo.
However, it’s not just a novel. This is a true story, and all these unsanitary conditions exist. All these abused and abandoned animals are really being cared for by dysfunctional volunteers who have retreated from civilization for one reason or another. Someone really did live with a worm burrowed in her knee, making her physically sick for months. Someone was only allowed to take ice-cold showers once a week, and she looked forward to them. That someone was Laura Coleman, and not to be comical, but she lived to tell the tale.

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Colleen

interesting read

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2023

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I enjoy reading about real life adventures. This story is fascinating. The life I f volunteering in the jungle and caring for pumas is quite unique. I enjoyed learning about Laura’s connection with her puma. I enjoyed learning about her personal struggles and how she adapted to life in a jungle.

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Susan Wood

Heart warming & heart breaking

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2023

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A must read for any conservationist. Kudos to Laura, Nena & all who work endlessly to combat the adversity of the inconsiderate destroyers of biodiversity.

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2023

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I am an animal lover, and try to volunteer as much time as I can,as well as make donations. I cannot even begin to imagine working as hard as the people at this animal sanctuary in Bolivia. Laura Coleman’s book is very inspirational. I found myself laughing and crying throughout the book. This is a must read for all animal lovers!

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2022

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This memoir follows Laura, an inexperienced volunteer, and her time at (CIWY) Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi in Bolivia. CIWY is a nonprofit organization that teaches young people about conservation, and provides sanctuary to abused wild animals. It was officially founded in 1992 with one determined woman and a few volunteers, there's more information inside the book if you want to help or learn more. Laura's journey doesn't start until 2007, when she quits her job to backpack through South America. Laura was hoping to find clarity, a purpose in life. Near the end of her trip she was no closer to a purpose and quite ready to give up and just go home. But happened upon a flyer asking for volunteers at CIWY. This one, seemingly inconsequential choice, changed her life. Especially when she met and fell in love with Wayra, an abused puma she had the privilege of working with. She had no prior experience with animals, quite the opposite with a bit of fear -especially involving spiders. Yet she rose above these things to meet the challenge before her. Other volunteers trained her to work with these animals while also doing their assigned jobs. I adored seeing the wildly different personalities of each animal. They were truly part of the family and their care was outstanding. They put the flora and fauna welfare above everything. Laura gives us the raw reality of it all. From the witty and sometimes fearful descriptions of the jungle, the unforgettable animals, the unique personalities and relationships she encountered with both humans an animals, and the ups and downs everyone faced daily. I won't lie, the adversity they face is daunting and heartbreaking at times. There's a native American quote in the book that roughly says: once the jungle, the trees, the animals, the water, and everything is gone, humans will realize that you can't eat money. They faced deforestation and fires, poaching and abuse of animals, fewer volunteers or donations every year and so much more at the hands of humans. But the volunteers in this book give their all to make a difference, some days they win, others they lose. But everyday they get up and try again. Through heavy rain that turns everything to swamps and mud, scorching temperatures and humidity that favors mould, mosquitoes and bugs that are usually reserved for our nightmares, no electricity or hot water, and a hundred other nuisances that would already be unbearable without adding all of their hard work from sunup to sundown. They even do weekly maintenance and construction. It's a revelation and a legacy of humanity. They develop lifetime bonds with the animals, each other and their environment. These volunteers not only give their time, they pay money to do so. This nominal amount is what pays for everything they do. They don't get help from their government, they can't make it a tourist attraction (that would destroy more habitats and jungle), they have so many costs from building materials to food and healthcare, and have to rely solely on donations and volunteers. So incredibly inspiring. I wept with my heart breaking and with profound joy- it's just one of those books you'll never forget. I found this book through a Kindle notification for World Book Day, it allows you to read 10 free books from around the world. Sadly, if not for this, I likely would've never discovered it. I think everyone should read this book, it's educational, inspiring, and for a good cause-all the proceeds go to CIWY to make a difference. Happy reading!

8 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Hard to put it down.

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2023

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So beautifully written! It made me envision the place, its colors and smells. There were times when I got mixed up on names, which were animals, which were people. Loved the story!!!!

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Claire

Wonderful, absorbing, evocative, heartwrenching, beautiful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2023

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I don't usually write reviews but this book deserves one. It's wonderfully written, so evocative I felt I was there. Which was a double-edged sword at times when the author describes the awful camp conditions and the physical effects on the volunteers! All the characters are well-drawn in just a few strokes, and the personalities of the animals shine through without being cutesy or forgetting that they are animals. The main focus of the book is the big cats that live in the sanctuary. Rescued from the illegal trade in wild animals, they are at once terrifying and gentle, reminding me of my own small cat while also aweing me with their wildness. The relationship between the author and 'her' puma, is so beautiful. She doesn't pull her punches in describing what happens when she gets it wrong, but the trust and love she builds up with this huge, powerful wild cat is amazing.
In the background, always pushing forwards and threatening the safety of the camp, is the logging trade. The author's fury and sense of desperation and powerlessness really affected me. This book brought it home to me more than anything ever has, because I came to know and care for the humans and animals who are fighting against the loss of their habitat.
Read this book; it's wonderful. Then donate to Friends of Inti Wara Yassi.

EmanuelleKlimperstein

beautiful and inspiring

Reviewed in Germany on September 28, 2023

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This book left me full of admiration for courageous people that did not give up on creating a better world. With self criticism and awareness for the limits of their actions, they still believe and most of all do!
Thank you <3

Illanjana Bhadra

Magnificent, like Wyra

Reviewed in India on July 16, 2023

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An unputdownable life story. Not all heroes wear capes, some turn into magnificent authors. Hands down to your beautiful life Laura Coleman.

chimneyman

Very emotional

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2023

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It is hard to know whether the sanctuary which is at the heart of this book is there for the benefit of some mistreated animals or whether it is there for the benefit of a small number of troubled humans working as long term volunteers. At the time when Laura arrives, the place is a danger to life and limb in all sorts of ways but, later, we discover that the earlier managers of the place have moved on and the sanctuary has been drastically sanitised. It is interesting that Laura's story only tells of one volunteer who leaves on the same day that he arrives - I feel sure that there must have been quite a few who would have found the conditions intolerable. However, the story is a powerful one and well worth reading.

Kathryn

Well written & inspiring

Reviewed in Australia on June 28, 2023

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Not a book i would normally pick but so glad I did. I was drawn in from the start & found it an enjoyable & emotional read.

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