“Aguon's book is for everyone, but he challenges history by
placing indigenous consciousness at the center of his project . . .
The result is the most tender polemic I've ever read.” --Lenika
Cruz, The Atlantic
A collection of
essays on resistance, resilience, and collective power in the age of
climate disaster from Chamorro human rights lawyer and organizer
Julian Aguon.
Part memoir, part
manifesto, Chamorro climate activist Julian Aguon's No Country for
Eight-Spot Butterflies is a coming-of-age story and a call for
justice--for everyone, but in particular, for Indigenous peoples.
In bracing poetry
and compelling prose, Aguon weaves together stories from his
childhood in the villages of Guam with searing political commentary
about matters ranging from nuclear weapons to global warming.
Undertaking the work of bearing witness, wrestling with the most
pressing questions of the modern day, and reckoning with the
challenge of truth-telling in an era of rampant obfuscation, he culls
from his own life experiences--from losing his father to pancreatic
cancer to working for Mother Teresa to an edifying chance encounter
with Sherman Alexie--to illuminate a collective path out of the
darkness.
A powerful, bold,
new voice writing at the intersection of Indigenous rights and
environmental justice, Julian Aguon is entrenched in the struggles of
the people of the Pacific to liberate themselves from colonial rule,
defend their sacred sites, and obtain justice for generations of
harm. In No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies, Aguon shares
his wisdom and reflections on love, grief, joy, and triumph and
extends an offer to join him in a hard-earned hope for a better worl