The Jaguar's Roar

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Translated by Juliana Barbassa In 1817, two German scientists travelled across Brazil and into the Amazon gathering flora and fauna to study and display in Europe. Among the collec tion they brought back to the Bavarian court were two Indigenous children. The children’s images became widespread, but little was known about the children themselves. Despite the scientists’ detailed records about many of the plant and animal specimens, they only noted the children’s tribes: the girl was a Miranha, and the boy, a Juri. After a few months, the children died in Germany, far from anyone who knew their names. Dancing delicately between history and legend, The Jaguar’s Roar weaves together the perspectives of all those tied up in the Miranha girl’s fate, from her German captors, to the mythic jaguar she conjures for protection, to the anguished modern day bystander who stumbles across her sketch in a museum. This incandescent novel explores the impact of colonialism on memory and belonging, forcing readers to confront Brazil’s suppression of its Indigenous history. Show more