In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience

Publisher's Description (University of Regina Press):
An unflinching memoir of addiction, intergenerational trauma, and the wounds of sexual assault from a resilient, emerging Indigenous voice. Helen Knott, a highly accomplished Indigenous woman, seems to have it all. But in her memoir, she offers a different perspective. In My Own Moccasins is an unflinching account of addiction, intergenerational trauma, and the wounds brought on by sexual violence. It is also the story of sisterhood, the power of ceremony, the love of family, and the possibility of redemption. With gripping moments of withdrawal, times of spiritual awareness, and historical insights going back to the signing of Treaty 8 by her great-great grandfather, Chief Bigfoot, her journey exposes the legacy of colonialism, while reclaiming her spirit.

Author Biography (University of Regina Press): Helen Knott is a Dane Zaa, Nehiyaw, and mixed Euro-descent woman living in Fort St. John, British Columbia. In 2016 Helen was one of sixteen global change makers featured by the Nobel Women's Initiative for being committed to end gender-based violence. Helen was selected as a 2019 RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Author. This is her first book.

Resource type: Book (non-fiction)

Age recommendation: Post-secondary

Keywords: Memoir, Sexual Assault, Addiction, Intergenerational trauma, Sisterhood, abuse, recovery, Indigenous womanhood, spiritual awareness, histories, healing/well-being

Year of publication: 2020

Publisher information: University of Regina Press