Andrea, a young Indigenous Colombian woman, and her family were displaced from their village. Almost a year later, she has returned to the land to mourn her lost child. And she is also on a mission to prove the injustices her peoples have faced.

This was such a heartbreaking book about the horrors Indigenous peoples have faced at the hands of mining and energy companies. Even though it was a fictional account, these events are very real. The author’s note at the end shed light on recent events that have affected these communities.

Themes: Indigenous (Quechua) peoples of Columbia, gold mines and mining, family life

Content warnings: violence, forced displacement, racism, child death, sexual assault

While the Amazonian region of Colombia is sparsely populated, it is home to over 70 different Indigenous ethnic groups. The author, Canizales, is Columbian by birth, Majorcan (Spain) by adoption. Order this book — the author will be donating a portion of his royalties to Resguardo Indígena Nasa de Cerro Tijeras on behalf of Indigenous Women in Columbia.

What appears to be an indigenous woman, come to bury her infant daughter in the land that was stolen from her, is really an indigenous woman trying to get the land that was stolen from them, returned. And the only way she can do it, is to bring back proof that it was stolen.

The people who lived on the land in the Amazonian rain forest, are driven from the land they know, and forced to live in the city, crowded together in a small room.

Andrea will have none of it. And after her infant dies, she comes up with a plan. Now she just has to get onto the land itself.

A sad, moving story. Based on the reality that is the indigenous people losing their land.

<em> Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

I'm so grateful I was able to read this book. Thank you for making it available. I will include it in my Buzzfeed Books roundup. It is a sad but important read.

Very interesting graphic novel the follows a young Amazonian indigenous woman whose people have been forced from their land by an illegal mining operation. Now refugees in a large city, the woman returns to her traditional lands to both bury her child and attempt to gather documentation on the mining operation for her community's lawyer. The art is primary in pencil, with a few splashes of symbolically important color. An adult audience would be better for this work. TW: violence, child death, rape threats, & racism

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Amazona by Canizales is an amazing graphic novel about indigenous resilience. The author is Colombian, and I could not find any information about whether he is indigenous or not, but since the main character is an indigenous Colombian woman, I would consider this to be an #ownvoices book. The story revolves around Andrea, whose indigenous community was kicked out of their land. Armed with a camera, she hopes to take photos that she can send to a lawyer so that they can hopefully get their land back. Will she succeed?

Overall, Amazona is simply a stunning graphic novel with an important message that everyone should hear. One highlight is the amazing artwork. The scenes in the dark jungle, when their land is being taken away, are scary and heartbreaking, and the dark colors reflect that. Another highlight is the socially conscious story. The author includes an Afterword at the end of the book where he talks about the trials that indigenous peoples have faced in Colombia. I learned a lot from this part, and from this book, that I had had no idea about. If you're intrigued by the synopsis, or if you want to learn more about indigenous peoples, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!