The Puma Years: A Memoir

Written by Laura Coleman

Narrated by Laura Coleman

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781713555100

Laura Coleman

Laura Coleman was born in Sussex, in the south of England. She studied English literature and art history at university and received a master’s in art history. 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, and the communities and the stories that she found there, that inspired her to start the Brighton-based organisation ONCA. (Panthera onca is the scientific name for 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 Small Isles in Scotland with her friend, 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-based charity that supports CIWY’s work.

Reviews for The Puma Years

[Darcia Helle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have mixed feelings about The Puma Years.

The writing is engaging, and I love what this book stands for. We humans have spent way too many years destroying the environment, and consequently, wildlife’s habitat, on a whim. Our thoughtlessness, hubris, and disrespect has consequences, and Laura Coleman shows us some of them with her memoir.

Here are the “buts.” ?

The middle gets muddled with too much repetition, giving me a sort of Groundhog Day experience. The book felt much longer than it is.

Coleman seems to glorify her and her fellow volunteers’ ability to wallow in mud, deal with spiders laying eggs under their skin, lice, rotting food, and generally living like wild things out of a Tarzan movie, all for the sake of a relatively small number of animals. While I have great respect for the work they were doing, this type of activism isn't sustainable for a number of reasons.

Also, the middle section is mostly about one woman’s intense attachment to one puma, and the lengths she went to in order to stay with that wild cat. Coleman finds herself through a relationship with a puma, which is fine for her, but it doesn’t have much impact on the broader cause. We’re not there out of desperation for a dying planet, or even a general love of wildlife; we’re there for a cat called Wayra.

The last section is where we get to the heart of things such as deforestation, and the need for united organizations with a wider reach. Here, Coleman finally branches out, using what she learned about herself, wildlife, and the environment to do the kind of work we desperately need if we have any hope of saving ourselves.

*I bought the ebook, but wound up mostly listening to this on audio. The author narrates herself, which adds a personal touch.*

[Lauralyn Johnson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. The author is a great writer and great reader.

[sallyelizabethmurphy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent account- the writing style needs work.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Laura is a lost young adult, anxious and unsure what she wants to be doing. She ends up at a primitive animal sanctuary in Bolivia and despite all her squeamishness and fears, falls in love with her assigned puma. But not in the "oh she's so cute" way. Laura falls in love with the vulnerability and trust that she develops with Wayra.