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Graphic: Addiction, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Colonisation
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Alcohol, Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Genocide, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape
Graphic: Addiction, Racism, Sexual violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
Author: Helen Knott
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: August 24, 2019
T H R E E • W O R D S
Honest • Impactful • Unflinching
📖 S Y N O P S I S
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.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I can't quite recall how In My Own Moccasins came onto my radar, yet the moment it did I knew I needed to read it. After reading the praise featured on the back cover and inner flap, I knew it would be a book that would deeply effect and change me. And it did just that.
Helen's story is steeped in the pain of addiction, violence, and intergeneration trauma, yet at its core it is a story of culture, identity and belonging. This small, yet mighty memoir made me think and feel so many different things. Her voice is strong, yet gentle. And in an era where Indigenous woman often go missing and end up murder and disposed of while authorities turn a blind eye, Knott speaks up offering these often forgotten women a voice, a path to telling their own stories.
With months left to go in the year, it is safe to say, In My Own Moccasins will be the most powerful and impactful memoir I read in 2022. I am grateful Helen was willing, and able, to share her painful story, and find a path to herself. This is a book that needs to be required reading in high schools, colleges, and universities across the country.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who liked From the Ashes
• all Canadians
• fans of memoirs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I wanted to tell her she was much too valuable for a price tag to be put on her. I wanted to hug her until my own swirling madness and addiction stopped and I could see clearly. But I didn't. My monster outweighed my heart."
"I spoke about how that type of physical violence also damages the spirit. I talked about how that damage is never isolated just to the victim. It ripples out, potentially destroying a family, a social circle, even a whole community."
"Healing is not a solitary act."
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcohol, Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault
Moderate: Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation