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The Jaguar Man
What happens when one harrowing incident changes your life, splitting it between before and now?
On the fourth day of what Lara Naughton thought would be two weeks of bliss in Belize, she was kidnapped by a man pretending to be a cabdriver, held in the tropical forest, and raped. In the depths of the jungle—alone with the Jaguar Man—compassion was her only defense.
Lara’s survival and journey of healing is poignant, compelling, and exceptional—it runs against the grain of what we’re taught and how we speak about crime and victimhood. Bending the limits of reality, she uses myth to process her experience and further explore the power of compassion. What she comes to is authentic, unorthodox, and fresh, and could serve as a groundbreaking path for trauma survivors to find their own peace and healing.
On the fourth day of what Lara Naughton thought would be two weeks of bliss in Belize, she was kidnapped by a man pretending to be a cabdriver, held in the tropical forest, and raped. In the depths of the jungle—alone with the Jaguar Man—compassion was her only defense.
Lara’s survival and journey of healing is poignant, compelling, and exceptional—it runs against the grain of what we’re taught and how we speak about crime and victimhood. Bending the limits of reality, she uses myth to process her experience and further explore the power of compassion. What she comes to is authentic, unorthodox, and fresh, and could serve as a groundbreaking path for trauma survivors to find their own peace and healing.
- GenresNonfictionMemoir
176 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2016
4 people are currently reading
353 people want to read
About the author
Lara Naughton
1 book12 followersLARA NAUGHTON is an author and documentary playwright. Her work includes The Jaguar Man and Never Fight a Shark in Water: The Wrongful Conviction of Gregory Bright. She is a certified Compassion Cultivation Trainer through The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University School of Medicine; Director of CompassionNOLA; and Chair of Creative Writing at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. With more than twenty years teaching and facilitation experience, she has worked with students K-12 as well as adults, and leads workshops with individuals facing challenging circumstances, including homelessness, HIV/AIDS, wrongful conviction, incarceration, and torture. She often incorporates personal narrative writing into her classes, and assists individuals who wish to tell their own stories.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 2, 2017
An extraordinary memoir. Artfully crafted yet plainspoken, spiritual yet gritty, angry yet aware, calm yet searing, fierce yet wise.
Astonishing and uplifting.
Astonishing and uplifting.
July 22, 2016
When Lara Naughton describes "the angry man"--the one who commits X (rape)--she says "he is locked in his five senses". He may be, but Naughton's delicate yet powerful prose will unlock your senses and you will become witness--seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting and hearing her story about X. But the assault is not the story--it is and it isn't, she writes. The story is what Naughton does with violence, fear and shame. She is not a victim who loses her way. She is a storyteller, and through her journey, she is able to recognize and tell her own story.
Put aside the time.
You will read this in one sitting.
Put aside the time.
You will read this in one sitting.
July 2, 2016
I won this book in the GoodReads giveaways and I'm so glad I did. Not only was it great storytelling, but also a riveting and thought-provoking account of survival and recovery. Read it straight through. Will be interested to read more writings from this author.
October 6, 2018
I give this book 5 stars... The author's sexually abusive experience written in such a way that you, as the reader, can actually begin to feel, smell, hear, and see what she experienced. The story of how she comes to terms with her experience in a thoughtful, compassionate way. She shares the journey on her path to healing. She shares her relationship with her faith and the process she went through to heal. She received some life long strategies on how to move forward which she began implementing them right away. To read this during a time when so many women have been affected by an abusive experience, the reader can partially "feel" what the victim may have felt. I Read it in a day and the book will stay with me for a while.
January 26, 2020
Relatively short and worth a read for a new perspective on a challenging topic. However, the writing style was a bit too artistic for me- some of the metaphors and flowery language were a struggle to get though.
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September 27, 2016Documentary playwright and certified compassion cultivation trainer (Ctr. for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Stanford Univ. Sch. of Medicine) Naughton is also an experienced global traveler who enjoys solo adventures. While in Belize, she unwinds in balmy temperatures and meets a younger man who just may be The One. In Los Angeles, she recently purchased a bungalow in need of extensive repair, a symbol perhaps of her own life, which will soon be splintered. When a man impersonating a taxi driver abducts and rapes her, Naughton reaches deep into her inner resources to survive. Her creative use of myth as a means to navigate the psychological damage also helps readers traverse this difficult topic. She discovers a measure of compassion for her captor, even as she struggles to make sense of the senseless. This is an exploration of the multifaceted damage of this violent crime that may leave readers feeling both humble and raw. VERDICT In her first book, Naughton delivers a powerful and disturbing message to both men and women on the trauma of rape.
This review was submitted to Library Journal: http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/201... .
This review was submitted to Library Journal: http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/201... .
September 22, 2016
A very raw look at a young woman's victimization and recovery. While it's very well-written and readable (difficult subject matter aside), it took me a while to get used to the structure of revealing myth interspersed with the facts of Naughton's experience. I get what she was doing and by the end it was a successful device but at first it sort of took away from her story in my opinion.
There is a lot to think about in terms of showing love and compassion in even the most horrific of circumstances and how that affects your own self identity.
A good book but also a difficult book.
There is a lot to think about in terms of showing love and compassion in even the most horrific of circumstances and how that affects your own self identity.
A good book but also a difficult book.
September 5, 2016
A story of intimate trauma and travels to recovery. Lara Naughton has managed to write a compelling story of a horrific experience while in Belize for a romantic vacation. It is lyrical and poetic. Her descriptions of the event and more importantly how she lived through it are spot on. Anyone who has lived through an intimate assault is likely to recognize the feelings, the need to regain control, and the split that occurs in order to survive.
July 29, 2016
An incredibly poetic story chronicling the author's tragic experience being held hostage. I finished it in 3 hours because I could not stop turning the page.
August 26, 2016
A beautiful story about one of the ugliest moments a person can go through. I couldn't put this book down.
September 24, 2016
A really quick and engrossing read. Naughton tells a very powerful story about rape, compassion, and healing.
December 2, 2017
I listened to Lara Naughton on a panel at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival in New Orleans and recalled the name of this book, as it is rather distinct, when I saw it in a shop around town.
For one, the production of the book is rather soothing. An odd note, but the pliability and the binding and the pages feel good, the spacing is nice, it's a book that you feel with each time you come to it you are making notable progress.
Those aesthetic bits aside, I was utterly captured with the first half of the book. From the first page the author mastered this balancing of myth, fact, metaphor, the reality of the assault in question. I have never read anything that provided such a window into the mental insight of an assault. All of the questions and realizations and moment to moment notations one makes in a state of unrest are hard to capture in print, but the author very successfully did.
While I found the writing to be thoroughly compelling throughout the entire book, I did think that the second half was more difficult to adhere to than the first. It seemed that a handful of things were rushed, such as the trips to and from Belize--within a couple of pages there were five trips back to Belize and I had a hard time trying to get into the mindset of why one would want to return to a country after such a horrendous attack in the first place. While I understand the vision of the project and what the true focus was on in the end, there were some things I was simply curious about. I also wished that the sort of reconciliation that took place had a wider lifespan, that also felt rather quick in the text to the point where, to my understanding, the book lasted for about six months or so when in reality this is the sort of topic that could span over years, especially with the work that the author does now.
Overall, a very compelling read that truly breaks the narrative on sexual assault survivors wide open.
For one, the production of the book is rather soothing. An odd note, but the pliability and the binding and the pages feel good, the spacing is nice, it's a book that you feel with each time you come to it you are making notable progress.
Those aesthetic bits aside, I was utterly captured with the first half of the book. From the first page the author mastered this balancing of myth, fact, metaphor, the reality of the assault in question. I have never read anything that provided such a window into the mental insight of an assault. All of the questions and realizations and moment to moment notations one makes in a state of unrest are hard to capture in print, but the author very successfully did.
While I found the writing to be thoroughly compelling throughout the entire book, I did think that the second half was more difficult to adhere to than the first. It seemed that a handful of things were rushed, such as the trips to and from Belize--within a couple of pages there were five trips back to Belize and I had a hard time trying to get into the mindset of why one would want to return to a country after such a horrendous attack in the first place. While I understand the vision of the project and what the true focus was on in the end, there were some things I was simply curious about. I also wished that the sort of reconciliation that took place had a wider lifespan, that also felt rather quick in the text to the point where, to my understanding, the book lasted for about six months or so when in reality this is the sort of topic that could span over years, especially with the work that the author does now.
Overall, a very compelling read that truly breaks the narrative on sexual assault survivors wide open.
June 19, 2019
Instead of being frustrated by a writing style I would normally avoid and a lack of "ending," I found myself entranced by the language in this book about rape. More so, by the mind-bending idea of compassion for one's rapist, even as a survival mechanism. The author was a year ahead of me in grade school, and another schoolmate recommended this to me. It's harrowing, but beautiful, too.
May 6, 2017
A psychological test of wits
A woman gets sexually tortured while on vacation and develops schizophrenia disorder to her a psychological test of wits after her experience and tries to find meaning into what has happened to her as she finds hope and peace for herself!
A woman gets sexually tortured while on vacation and develops schizophrenia disorder to her a psychological test of wits after her experience and tries to find meaning into what has happened to her as she finds hope and peace for herself!
February 18, 2019
Beautifully woven together work of literature. It was amazing that one event could hold interest for an entire book. Definitely a really hard topic but she maintains dignity in such an eloquent way.
September 4, 2023
Belize. Woman from California goes to Belize to meet up with a man she met before. Instead she’s kidnapped and sexually assaulted. The last chapter didn’t make any sense to me.
December 12, 2016
"Trust that this is happening for me, not against me." I devoured this miraculous memoir in a day, just couldn't put it down. Not because of the tragedy or the sadness, but because of the way it penetrated my heart, to its core; changing my own way of viewing the world, for the better. As we go day to day, our experiences shape us; good, bad or otherwise, we are formed and molded, our thoughts are the reactions to the physical and our emotions are our way of allowing us to unfold, or if we choose to, to stay folded up, enveloped in the pain, the hurt and the tragedy. We need to be present in a God way, to be open to the miracles that the Universe is teaching us. Every opportunity needs to be listened to and we need to dig deep, real deep to find the hidden messages to allow for the clearing and the healing to begin. A metamorphous and an unwinding and finding that we don't necessarily have to follow the order of things, but we can step outside the norm, create a new path and a newer body, mind and soul to forge a new imprint on our lives and the world we live in. I loved this book and it took me home in a way I never expected it to; yet her tragedy was not mine, my tragedy is my own, as is everyones. Read it and open up to what is possible and obtainable. Pain does not have to be an "end-all", but a new beginning. A tiny little book, with a powerful message. "The Jaguar Man" cracked me wide open.
January 30, 2017
I've had the good fortune to know Lara for years. As a creative writing teacher, she's inspired countless young authors to explore deep, difficult truths about themselves.
The Jaguar Man proves that Lara practices what she preaches in the classroom.
It's a magnificent book: thoughtful, painful, honest, tragic, transcendent, magical. It's thorough without losing focus; profound without being grandiose. And of course, Lara's love of language--and her understanding of the importance of language--are on full display. For someone like me, who likes a little poetry in his prose, it's perfect.
But just as importantly, the message of the book is so, so timely. At a moment in history when countries and people are walling themselves off--literally and metaphorically--when fear of otherness is guiding international politics, a book about compassion, about understanding people whose motives might seem obscure, is a refreshing, uplifting read. If only some of our elected officials and pundits practiced the same sort of compassion that Lara does, the world would be a better, friendlier place.
The Jaguar Man proves that Lara practices what she preaches in the classroom.
It's a magnificent book: thoughtful, painful, honest, tragic, transcendent, magical. It's thorough without losing focus; profound without being grandiose. And of course, Lara's love of language--and her understanding of the importance of language--are on full display. For someone like me, who likes a little poetry in his prose, it's perfect.
But just as importantly, the message of the book is so, so timely. At a moment in history when countries and people are walling themselves off--literally and metaphorically--when fear of otherness is guiding international politics, a book about compassion, about understanding people whose motives might seem obscure, is a refreshing, uplifting read. If only some of our elected officials and pundits practiced the same sort of compassion that Lara does, the world would be a better, friendlier place.
November 25, 2021
Oh my goodness - I wasn't expecting this. You know why I read this book? Because my current reading challenge is: Books with an Animal Name in them. J for Jaguar. That's why I read this book. Wow... I got lucky.
I've read many books written by survivors of traumatic events, but this one is something quite new. Lara's writing is as exquisite as the choices she makes in dealing with her trauma - both during the event and afterwards, as she processes what happened to her. She's raw and brave - and unashamedly shuns the expectation to deal with her trauma by the textbook or societal expectations.
A gripping story in its own right, superbly told, with a huge serving of courage, intelligence and a beautiful spirit on top.
I've read many books written by survivors of traumatic events, but this one is something quite new. Lara's writing is as exquisite as the choices she makes in dealing with her trauma - both during the event and afterwards, as she processes what happened to her. She's raw and brave - and unashamedly shuns the expectation to deal with her trauma by the textbook or societal expectations.
A gripping story in its own right, superbly told, with a huge serving of courage, intelligence and a beautiful spirit on top.
December 6, 2016
Best account of splitting during a rape I have read. Naughton prefers to think of the book as a compassion narrative rather than a rape memoir. One of the most literary books on rape I have read yet and also one of few to point the way forward.
November 6, 2016
I can see how this book is a therapeutic tool; it was much more about the healing and forgiveness process than I originally expected. An interesting read.
November 23, 2016
The writing here is so bold and befutiful in the face of such a difficult topic. A stunning little book.
January 24, 2017
This is one of the most powerful, brave books I've ever read.
April 30, 2017
This book is amazing.
My lasting thought after finishing was, "I have to find a way to make everyone I know read this book. Maybe it should be required reading in high school or college." The author shares truths and musings in a flawless, poetic style. The use of the stand-in term X was genius.
This book made me think, it made me feel, it unsettled me, and it grounded me. It is a specific person's memoir about a specific trauma, yet somehow it transcends that and becomes a healing tool for all people, through all traumas.
My lasting thought after finishing was, "I have to find a way to make everyone I know read this book. Maybe it should be required reading in high school or college." The author shares truths and musings in a flawless, poetic style. The use of the stand-in term X was genius.
This book made me think, it made me feel, it unsettled me, and it grounded me. It is a specific person's memoir about a specific trauma, yet somehow it transcends that and becomes a healing tool for all people, through all traumas.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews