Special Praise for
THE JAGUAR MAN
“The Jaguar Man does the seemingly impossible—weave a beautiful tale out of a horrific experience. Lara Naughton inspires and uplifts even as she shares difficult truths. This book will encourage you to reimagine—and believe in—your own capacity for compassion, courage, and resilience.”
—KELLY McGONIGAL, PhD, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF The Upside of Stress AND The Willpower Instinct
“The Jaguar Man is less a story than a slap. It is an intensely lyrical expression of darkness, of pain, of an ugly act of violence that becomes transformational. Inspiring and written in spare, completely original, painfully honest, magical, hammering prose, this book is not to be missed.”
—MARK BOWDEN, THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF Black Hawk Down
“What a privilege it has been for me to be part of Lara’s journey. And to now see her harrowing experience transmuted into a sojourn of healing and love described so vulnerably, so sublimely in this book, I can only describe The Jaguar Man and its author as a blessing to the world.”
—MICHAEL BERNARD BECKWITH, AUTHOR OF Spiritual Liberation
“Lara Naughton has rewritten the survivor narrative into a radical poetics that challenges all of our ideas about sexual and spiritual trauma. At the heart of this story is a kidnapping and violence against the body and spirit of a woman deep in the Belize tropics. But her journey is not into the heart of darkness. The darkness is rewritten as a kind of portal, and language is reinvented as the mode by which we can reinvent ourselves, even in the face of brutality. Like Roxane Gay’s novel An Untamed State, we are given the story of violence unflinchingly, and yet beauty still rises like a hymn to the body, bringing the soul back home.”
—LIDIA YUKNAVITCH, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF The Small Backs of Children AND The Chronology of Water
“A marvelous book written with the deft hand of a journalist and told with the grip of an old fashioned storyteller. The magic of this book is not so much that Lara Naughton had to reach deep into a cauldron of wit and courage to survive an ordeal from a vicious, twisted villain, but rather that her redemption created a new level of understanding and wisdom that she embraced, so that she might live long enough to share this wisdom with others. That is why we read books. And that is why this is an excellent one.”
—JAMES MCBRIDE, NATIONAL BOOK AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF The Good Lord Bird
“The Jaguar Man is a terribly beautiful book. It will remind you of what human beings are capable of at their worst, but more importantly, it will remind you of the human capacity to survive and thrive despite unimaginable challenges. I highly recommend it.”
—KEVIN POWERS, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF The Yellow Birds
“The Jaguar Man is an astonishing story of how compassion and unconditional love can create reality—even change reality—beyond what our rational minds can understand. If you ever had any doubts about that, read this book.”
—KRISTIN NEFF, PhD, AUTHOR OF Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
“The Jaguar Man is a highly compelling and vulnerable story of survival, heartbreak, triumph, and hope. Poignantly written, Lara Naughton shines a very bright light on what it means to live with compassion, courage, and heart.”
—CHRIS GROSSO, AUTHOR OF Indie Spiritualist AND Everything Mind
“Revelatory in its wisdom, startling in its beauty, The Jaguar Man is an empowering reminder that—however daunting the path might seem—we are our own best healers. A truly vital read.”
—STEPHANIE ELIZONDO GRIEST, AUTHOR OF Mexican Enough: My Life between the Borderlines
“The Jaguar Man offers a profound and personal exploration of the impact of violent crime on survivors, their families, and communities. Naughton offers a perspective of pain, hope, healing, and redemption that is a must read for anyone who has endured trauma or loss.”
—ANNE SEYMOUR, NATIONAL CRIME VICTIM ADVOCATE
Central Recovery Press (CRP) is committed to publishing exceptional materials addressing addiction treatment, recovery, and behavioral healthcare topics.
For more information, visit www.centralrecoverypress.com.
© 2016 by Lara Naughton
All rights reserved. Published 2016.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
Publisher: Central Recovery Press
3321 N. Buffalo Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89129
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Naughton, Lara.
Title: The jaguar man / Lara Naughton.
Description: Las Vegas, NV: Central Recovery Press, 2016. | Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015051474 (print) | LCCN 2015048730 (ebook) ISBN 9781942094210 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Naughton, Lara—Travel—Belize. | Rape victims--Belize--Biography. Americans—Belize—Biography. | Survival—Belize. | Rape victims—Psychology. Victims of violent crimes—Rehabilitation. | Compassion. | Healing.
BISAC: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs. BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Healing / General. | RELIGION / Buddhism / General (see also PHILOSOPHY / Buddhist).
Classification: LCC HV6569.B42 (print) | LCC HV6569.B42 N38 2016 (ebook)
DDC 362.883092--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015051474
Photo of Lara Naughton by Monika Abercauph
Every attempt has been made to contact copyright holders. If copyright holders have not been properly acknowledged please contact us. Central Recovery Press will be happy to rectify the omission in future printings of this book.
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