--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have long admired the visceral…" description: "\"I have long admired the visceral storytelling and moral complexity of John Vaillant’s brilliant non-fiction about humankind’s tragically ambivalent rel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/john-burnham-schwartz-22392_ambivalent_i-have-long-admired-the-visceral-storyte_1039319.jpg" --- # I have long admired the visceral storytelling and moral… ![“I have long admired the visceral storytelling and moral complexity of John Vaillant’s brilliant non-fiction about humankind’s tragically ambivalent relationship with the natural world. Now he brings his abundant literary gifts to a debut novel set in a very real borderland in which human beings…” quote by John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/john-burnham-schwartz-22392_ambivalent_i-have-long-admired-the-visceral-storyte_1039319.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/john-burnham-schwartz-22392_ambivalent_i-have-long-admired-the-visceral-storyte_1039319.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/john-burnham-schwartz-22392_ambivalent_i-have-long-admired-the-visceral-storyte_1039319.jpg) > “I have long admired the visceral storytelling and moral complexity of John Vaillant’s brilliant non-fiction about humankind’s tragically ambivalent relationship with the natural world. Now he brings his abundant literary gifts to a debut novel set in a very real borderland in which human beings are themselves treated like animals. The Jaguar’s Children is a beautifully rendered lament for an imperiled culture and the brave lives that would preserve it. You should read it.” [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The reviewer admires Vaillant’s skill in portraying humanity’s conflicted relationship with nature, now applied to a novel where humans are treated like animals, highlighting cultural loss and bravery. **In simple terms:** The novel explores human-animal parallels and cultural preservation. Key Takeaway Recognize shared vulnerability. Themes environment humanity culture Mood thoughtful poignant Type literary critical When to use this quote - reading groups - environmental activism - cultural studies Key Concepts ecocriticism moral complexity identity colonialism Questions to Reflect On - How does framing humans as animals affect empathy? - What lessons arise for preserving endangered cultures? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abundant Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abundant-literary-2421112/) [Ambivalent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalent/) [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave/) [Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliant/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Complexity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Debut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debut/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Humankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-humankind-2421110/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humankind/) [Humankind Tragically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humankind-tragically-2421113/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Jaguars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jaguars/) [Lament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lament/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-world/) [Non fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/non-fiction/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Preserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserves/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Treated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treated/) [Vaillant Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vaillant-brilliant-2421111/) [Visceral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visceral/) [Visceral Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visceral-storytelling-2421109/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The Jaguar's Children is a beautifully rendered lament for an imperiled culture and the brave lives that would preserve it. You should read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/the-jaguar-s-children-is-a-beautifully-rendered-lament-for-an/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [What happened to him? (Lioness) He pissed me off. (Savitar) Why hasn’t one of the other jaguars taken his place? (Lioness) He pissed me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/what-happened-to-him-lioness-he-pissed-me-off-savitar-why-hasn-t-one/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Jaguars, afterall, were fairly common, and so people were more respectful than afraid of them, just as they were of any other natural force.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-villasenor/jaguars-afterall-were-fairly-common-and-so-people-were-more/) [Victor Villasenor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-villasenor/) > [I would like to thank the Jaguars organization for giving me the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-fournette/i-would-like-to-thank-the-jaguars-organization-for-giving-me-the/) [Leonard Fournette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-fournette/) > [“I never saw true beauty till this night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kessler/i-never-saw-true-beauty-till-this-night/) [Lisa Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kessler/) > [People will stop me on the street, and they know - Jaguars. It's a certain street recognition we didn't have years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-khan/people-will-stop-me-on-the-street-and-they-know-jaguars-it-s-a/) [Shahid Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-khan/) > [the arts of Mexico are heavy with the weight of the past, of gods that demanded the sacrifice of a thousand beating hearts in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biloine-w-young/the-arts-of-mexico-are-heavy-with-the-weight-of-the-past-of-gods-that/) [Biloine W. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biloine-w-young/) > [The leaping Jaguar on the bonnet, to me, makes it look more like a hunter than something that is getting away. It's a hunter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-kingsley/the-leaping-jaguar-on-the-bonnet-to-me-makes-it-look-more-like-a/) [Ben Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-kingsley/) > [I did short film with Damian Lewis from Homeland, that was a really incredible experience. He's one of the best actors I've ever worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannyn-sossamon/i-did-short-film-with-damian-lewis-from-homeland-that-was-a-really/) [Shannyn Sossamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannyn-sossamon/) > [ He \[directo Park\] gave me a sculpture, a jaguar. It is the animal, obviously, and it is in my bedroom at my parents' place… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/he-directo-park-gave-me-a-sculpture-a-jaguar-it-is-the-animal/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [I choose films for their artistic value. I don't need a mansion or a Jaguar. When I leave this Earth, I won't take any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-renfro/i-choose-films-for-their-artistic-value-i-don-t-need-a-mansion-or-a/) [Brad Renfro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-renfro/) > [I'll show up at Fashion Week with a mink on with a lion head biting my shoulder. I would love that. Oh my God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-shumpert/i-ll-show-up-at-fashion-week-with-a-mink-on-with-a-lion-head-biting/) [Iman Shumpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-shumpert/) > [I have every single Ferrari that came out. I have all the Mercedes they came out with, all the Jaguars they came out with,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ion-tiriac/i-have-every-single-ferrari-that-came-out-i-have-all-the-mercedes/) [Ion Tiriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ion-tiriac/) > [“You're glowing." He chuckled, taming his hair. "Forgive me for being proud instead of embarrassed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kessler/you-re-glowing-he-chuckled-taming-his-hair-forgive-me-for-being-proud/) [Lisa Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kessler/) > [“I never dreamed redemption would be this good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kessler/i-never-dreamed-redemption-would-be-this-good/) [Lisa Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kessler/) ## More by John Burnham Schwartz > [There's no backward and no forward, no day other than this. You fill your cart as you go, and that's that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/there-s-no-backward-and-no-forward-no-day-other-than-this-you-fill/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [Beyond the terrace, a light breeze stirred the reeds at the edge of the pond. Looking out at this intimate vista, one could see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/beyond-the-terrace-a-light-breeze-stirred-the-reeds-at-the-edge-of/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [Men had suddenly become a scarce commodity, if not quite as sought after as rice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/men-had-suddenly-become-a-scarce-commodity-if-not-quite-as-sought/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [“Inaction is not the same thing as patience. It is instead a kind of perpetual waiting room, a sterile holding pen for unlived desire,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/inaction-is-not-the-same-thing-as-patience-it-is-instead-a-kind-of/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [Certain experiences you never forget, no matter how old you become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/certain-experiences-you-never-forget-no-matter-how-old-you-become/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [For a couple of years at the end of the 1970s, Dustin Hoffman was a fixture in our family. My father was his lawyer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/for-a-couple-of-years-at-the-end-of-the-1970s-dustin-hoffman-was-a/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [“Why? What had she ever done? What had any of them ever done? To give a child only to take him away. To make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/why-what-had-she-ever-done-what-had-any-of-them-ever-done-to-give-a/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [Anyone who loved Tuesdays with Morrie should delight in reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Mitch Albom has populated his larger-than-life tale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/anyone-who-loved-tuesdays-with-morrie-should-delight-in-reading-the/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [It is one thing to recognise certain potentially useful affinities, and another to act on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/it-is-one-thing-to-recognise-certain-potentially-useful-affinities/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [In Japan, more than in any other country I've ever been in, one is not supposed to write about the people in the glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/in-japan-more-than-in-any-other-country-i-ve-ever-been-in-one-is-not/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [The difference between great actors and the rest of us isn't simply that they know how to make more out of less, but that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/the-difference-between-great-actors-and-the-rest-of-us-isn-t-simply/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [“I sat thinking. How it was she who'd mentioned love first. How she seemed to be waiting, the door still between us, for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/i-sat-thinking-how-it-was-she-who-d-mentioned-love-first-how-she/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [Had I not gone to Japan in 1986, had I stayed home and majored in English literature as I'd intended to do, I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/had-i-not-gone-to-japan-in-1986-had-i-stayed-home-and-majored-in/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [“She was Mattie Tucker now, mother of three and a good forty pounds heavier, casting that burning eye over them all, reaching way back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/she-was-mattie-tucker-now-mother-of-three-and-a-good-forty-pounds/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [I was 12. Our ,teacher made us write an autobiography and I realised that I wasn't very interesting. I began to make things up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/i-was-12-our-teacher-made-us-write-an-autobiography-and-i-realised/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) [Explore all 27 John Burnham Schwartz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) ## More Ambivalent quotes > [“I find it ironic that someone so ambivalent about living fights so hard to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-grover-swank/i-find-it-ironic-that-someone-so-ambivalent-about-living-fights-so/) [Denise Grover Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-grover-swank/) > [Americans have always had an ambivalent attitude toward intelligence. When they feel threatened, they want a lot of it, and when they don't, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-a-walters/americans-have-always-had-an-ambivalent-attitude-toward-intelligence/) [Vernon A. Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-a-walters/) > [When you 'make good,' you find out who your real friends are. You find out pretty quick. And it's a very ambivalent feeling, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-camp/when-you-make-good-you-find-out-who-your-real-friends-are-you-find/) [Greg Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-camp/) > [There is scarcely room for doubt that something in the psychological relation of a mother-in-law to a son-in-law breeds hostility between them and makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/there-is-scarcely-room-for-doubt-that-something-in-the-psychological/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [The attitude of the American public toward the external projection of American power has been much more ambivalent. The public supported America's engagement in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-attitude-of-the-american-public-toward-the-external-projection-of/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [Gollum was so interesting to me because he's morally ambivalent, and I love the notion of a quest that is to lose something. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/gollum-was-so-interesting-to-me-because-he-s-morally-ambivalent-and-i/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [The American public is somewhat ambivalent about what they expect out of thenational forest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-regula/the-american-public-is-somewhat-ambivalent-about-what-they-expect-out/) [Ralph Regula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-regula/) > [What does it mean then to live with one another? It can be unhappy, it can be wretched, it can be ambivalent, it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/what-does-it-mean-then-to-live-with-one-another-it-can-be-unhappy-it/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [“The unconscious operation of the attachment system via internal working models probably plays an important part in the choice of marital partner and relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-holmes/the-unconscious-operation-of-the-attachment-system-via-internal/) [Jeremy Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-holmes/) > [I'd like to see a much more open Monarchy, myself. I used to think they were completely useless and we should get rid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/i-d-like-to-see-a-much-more-open-monarchy-myself-i-used-to-think-they/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [The more ambivalent you are and the more uncertain you are, then you can get something that you cannot anticipate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-more-ambivalent-you-are-and-the-more-uncertain-you-are-then-you/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [We all parent the best we can. Being human, we're ambivalent. We want perfection for our babies, but we also need sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/we-all-parent-the-best-we-can-being-human-we-re-ambivalent-we-want/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [It's time to "stop being ambivalent." ... They (groups like the Islamic State) have no ideology beyond violence and chaos and the slaughter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-time-to-stop-being-ambivalent-they-groups-like-the-islamic-state/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We all have ambivalent feelings toward work ... We try to avoid it, and yet we seem to require it for our emotional well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-florman/we-all-have-ambivalent-feelings-toward-work-we-try-to-avoid-it-and/) [Samuel Florman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-florman/) > [I worked with fantastic actors, fantastic directors. People I would never otherwise have met. Was I limited? Yes. Did I use it as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-golino/i-worked-with-fantastic-actors-fantastic-directors-people-i-would/) [Valeria Golino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-golino/) [Browse all 89 Ambivalent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have long admired the visceral storytelling and moral complexity of John Vaillant’s brilliant non-fiction about humankind’s tragically ambivalent relationship with the natural world. Now he brings his abundant literary gifts to a debut novel set in a very real borderland in which human beings are themselves treated like animals. The Jaguar’s Children is a beautifully rendered lament for an imperiled culture and the brave lives that would preserve it. 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