"One of the most powerful voices of her generation."

Helen Knott's memoir captivates readers

By Press Staff Date: August 28, 2019

In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience is taking the world by storm. Immediately after its release, this memoir reached #1 on Amazon.ca (in the Native American Biographies category) and #5 on the BookManager Canadian bestsellers list!

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Written by Helen Knott, a recipient of the 2019 RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writer Award, In My Own Moccasins is a painful and heartfelt memoir that addresses intergenerational trauma and its legacies of addiction and sexual assault—as well as the path to recovery. As Eden Robinson, author of Son of a Trickster, says:

“In My Own Moccasins never flinches. The story goes dark, and then darker. We live in an era where Indigenous women routinely go missing, our youth are killed and disposed of like trash, and the road to justice doesn’t seem to run through the rez. Knott’s journey is familiar, filled with the fallout of residential school, racial injustice, alcoholism, drugs, and despair. But she skillfully draws us along and opens up her life, her family, and her communities to show us a way forward. It’s the best kind of memoir: clear-eyed, generous, and glorious….Bear witness to the emergence of one of the most powerful voices of her generation."

Coming Aug 24 - #preorder here! https://t.co/nF18VnlNaM #inmyownmoccasins #indigenous #indigenouswomen #addictionrecovery #inspiration #youngartist #writersofinstagram #writer #memoir #UniversityofReginaPress #TheReginaCollection #booklover #spirit @chaptersindigo pic.twitter.com/vSTAVcNGQU
— U of R Press (@UofRPress) July 30, 2019

Knott relies on the support of her community—friends, mentors, Elders, aunties, and others—to guide her through the successes and setbacks of recovery, towards a place of resilience, spiritual awareness, and self-determination.

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I was thinking of the women in my life lately.. and how I was raised to put everyone, especially the family, before myself. How I yearned to save my grandma from historical pains or hold the trauma of a cousin. The women were the keepers of burdens, the buffers between us and the world. They were the medicine, the strong backs that carried the weight. Those that cried but you never really witnessed their tears. I have had to learn that it's OK to ask for help. It's okay to cry. I actually had to break crying behind closed doors always & EVEN allowing myself to cry. I can recall thinking I was weak for tears and would feel disgusted with myself. It took a lot of work to be this soft. It took a lot of hard things to become this real. We reclaim spaces inch by inch, giggle by giggle, tear by tear. I am grateful for this space I am in. Remember you are human woman. Remember you are worthy of love and to be cared for. Remember not to hold the world up alone. The world will not crumble if you take care of yourself. #dearwoman #love #selflove #selfcare #youcanhealyourlife

A post shared by Helen Knott (@helenknott05) on Jul 24, 2019 at 12:32pm PDT