In 2015 James Michael McCoy first met Peter Gorman, a journalist and writer who had been traveling to the jungles of Northwest Amazonia since 1984. During the next seven years, Peter’s vast knowledge of jungle medicines led McCoy into a world he never knew existed.

McCoy made three trips to the jungles of Peru to make the documentary More Joy, Less Pain: The Life of Peter Gorman. The meeting of the giant monkey tree frog, and the indigenous tribe known as the Matses, forever changed McCoy’s life. McCoy brought back footage, and knowledge about jungle medicines that would help his Mom during a difficult time in her life. This book explores the jungle medicine known as sapo, also called kambo, and it’s impact on the western world.

My Mom and the Frog is the story of James Michael McCoy’s extraordinary experiences making a documentary that bridges two distinct worlds: Northwest Amazonia and Texas.