“Helen writes beautifully and painfully, about her own life and the lives of many of our sisters. ” - Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, author of This Accident of Being Lost

“Helen Knott speaks truth to the experience of Indigenous women living through the violence of colonized spaces and she does so with grace, beauty and a ferocity that makes me feel so proud. ' - Eden Robinson, author of Son of a Trickster and Monkey Beach (from the foreword) Bear witness to the emergence of one of the most powerful voices of her generation. It’s the best kind of memoir: clear-eyed, generous, and glorious…. But she skillfully draws us along and opens up her life, her family, and her communities to show us a way forward. Knott’s journey is familiar, filled with the fallout of residential school, racial injustice, alcoholism, drugs, and despair. 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. 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. It is also the story of sisterhood, the power of ceremony, the love of family, and the possibility of redemption.

In My Own Moccasins is an unflinching account of addiction, intergenerational trauma, and the wounds brought on by sexual violence. But in her memoir, she offers a different perspective. Helen Knott, a highly accomplished Indigenous woman, seems to have it all. An unflinching memoir of addiction, intergenerational trauma, and the wounds of sexual assault from a resilient, emerging Indigenous voice.

In My Own Moccasins by Helen Knott