Fort St. John author featured by B.C.’s human rights commissioner’s book club in March

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Fort St. John’s award-winning Indigenous author has had her latest book selected as a reading pick by the B.C. human rights commissioner’s book club.

Helen Knott wrote Becoming a Matriarch with motivation of the losses of her mother and grandmother in a six-month span. 

BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner posted to social media on March 6th displaying Knott’s book as a part of its selection for March. 

According to commissioner Kasari Govender, this is a “story about the many ties that bind us to our loved ones, to those who bear responsibility for us and to whom we are responsible, to our ancestors, our cultures and our histories.”

Govender goes on to say the book illlistrates several themes such as the intersections between identities, relationships, the struggle for justice and decolonization.

“I found this exploration of matriarchy a powerful anecdote to the individualism that often dominates our public discourse,” said Govender. 

Becoming a Matriarch was named in CBC’s Canada Reads longlist for 2025.

Knott also spoke to Moose Media on the ‘Before the Peace’ series back in January.