Depression and Anxiety

With humour, warmth and heartbreaking honesty, award-winning author David A. Roberston explores the struggles and small victories of living with chronic anxiety and depression, and shares his hard-earned wisdom in the hope of making other people’s mental health journeys a little less lonely

From the outside, David A. Robertson looks as if he has it all together—a loving family, a successful career as an author, and a platform to promote Indigenous perspectives, cultures and concerns. But what we see on the outside rarely reveals what is happening inside. Robertson lives with “little monsters”: chronic, debilitating health anxiety and panic attacks accompanied, at times, by depression. During the worst periods, he finds getting out of bed to walk down the hall an insurmountable task. During the better times, he wrestles with the compulsion to scan his body for that sure sign of a dire health crisis.

In All the Little Monsters, Robertson reveals what it’s like to live inside his mind and his body and describes the toll his mental health challenges have taken on him and his family, and how he has learned to put one foot in front of the other as well as to get back up when he stumbles. He also writes about the tools that have helped him carry on, including community, therapy, medication and the simple question he asks himself on repeat: what if everything will be okay?

In candidly sharing his personal story and showing that he can be well even if he can’t be “cured,” Robertson hopes to help others on their own mental health journeys.

Additional Information
272 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Paperback 

“Because you believed me, I began to believe myself. Because of you, I am here.”

[Trigger Warning] Please note this book addresses sensitive topics including suicide, substance abuse, and family violence. While these emotionally challenging realities are held thoughtfully, and with love, this story may be triggering.

Jessica has contemplated suicide for a while now. Grappling with the reverberating grief of losing her beloved grandmother and the trauma of a broken home, young Jessica is reaching a place so far from herself, her community, and the traditional Indigenous teachings she once lived by, it is frightening.

When it all becomes too much, Jessica attempts to take the final step over the ledge. What follows is a journey through the sacred spaces within memory, song, and the spirit world, guided by two playful tricksters—eagles, who happen to have lifetimes of wisdom to share.

With a love of riddles and soaring beyond the edges of possibility, they turn and twist Jessica’s reality until she can finally ground herself in what she has known all along, and allow the love, strength and voice of her beloved grandmother to once again be remembered and heard. The trajectory of Jessica’s life will be changed forever.

From Hopi Elder, Pershlie "Perci" Ami, and Street Outreach Worker, Anthony Goulet, comes a creative, sensitive, and thoughtful approach to the topic of suicide. Combined, they have over forty years of experience in youth development and suicide prevention.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 14+ 

Trigger Warning: Please note this book addresses sensitive topics including suicide, substance abuse, and family violence. While these emotionally challenging realities are held thoughtfully, and with love, this story may be triggering.

Additional Information
109 pages | 5.50" x 7.50" | Paperback

An Anthology of Monsters by Cherie Dimaline, award-winning Métis author of The Marrow Thieves, is the tale of an intricate dance with life-long anxiety. It is about how the stories we tell ourselves—both the excellent and the horrible—can help reshape the ways in which we think, cope, and ultimately survive. Using examples from her published and forthcoming books, from her mère, and from her own late-night worry sessions, Dimaline choreographs a deeply personal narrative about all the ways in which we cower and crush through stories. Witches emerge as figures of misfortune but also empowerment, and the fearsome Rougarou inspires obedience, but also belonging and responsibility. Dimaline reveals how to collect and curate these stories, how they elicit difficult and beautiful conversations, and how family and community is a place of refuge and strength.

Educator Information
Keywords / Subjects: Stories; Anxiety; Panic; Rougarou; Family; Community; Métis; Witches; Insomnia; Coping; Worries; Grandparents; Empower; Belonging; Responsibility; Mental Health; Biography; Essays; Canadian Literature

Additional Information
64 pages | 5.25" x 9.00" | Paperback

Featuring real-life stories of people who have found hope and meaning in the midst of life’s struggles, Heads Up: Changing Minds on Mental Health is the go-to guide for teenagers who want to know about mental health, mental illness, trauma and recovery. For too long, mental health problems have been kept in the shadows, leaving people to suffer in silence, or worse, to be feared, bullied or pushed to the margins of society where survival is difficult.

This book shines a light on the troubled history of thinking about and treating mental illness and tells the stories of courageous pioneers in the field of psychiatry who fought for more compassionate, respectful and effective treatments. It provides a helpful guide to the major mental health diagnoses along with ideas and resources to support those who are suffering. But it also moves beyond a biomedical focus and considers the latest science that shows how trauma and social inequality impact mental health. The book explores how mental health is more than just “in our heads” and includes the voices of Indigenous people who share a more holistic way of thinking about wellness, balancing mind, body, heart and spirit. Highlighting innovative approaches such as trauma-informed activities like yoga and hip-hop, police mental health teams, and peer support for youth, Heads Up shares the stories of people who are sparking change.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 12+.

Keywords / Subjects / Themes: youth mental health, mental health, anxiety, recovery, ending stigma, Indigenous youth.

Additional Information
192 pages | 6.00" x 8.50"

Exploring intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities — and strategies for healing — with provocative prose and an empathetic approach

Indigenous peoples have shockingly higher rates of addiction, depression, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions than other North Americans. According to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, these are a result of intergenerational trauma: the unresolved terror, anger, fear, and grief created in Indigenous communities by the painful experiences of colonialism, passed down from generation to generation.

How are we to turn this desperate tide? With passionate argumentation and chillingly clear prose, author and educator Suzanne Methot uses her own and others’ stories to trace the roots of colonial trauma and the mechanisms by which trauma has become intergenerational, and she explores the Indigenous ways of knowing that can lead us toward change.

Reviews
“This book is accessible, relatable, and full of storytelling about real people. It deeply resonates with me as a traditional counsellor, educator, and Indigenous person. Suzanne Methot, a brave Nehiyaw writer and community helper, takes up the challenges of logically explaining a child’s traumatized brain and body and how these impacts continue into adulthood. Methot also explores Indigenous health-care models, proving that Indigenous values provide solutions. This book uncovers the critical need for legislation that moves from creating ‘a renewed relationship’ with Indigenous peoples to creating real structural change.” — Dr. Cyndy Baskin, Mi’kmaq Nation, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Ryerson University

Educator Information
A version of this work for young adults is available here: Killing the Wittigo: Indigenous Culture-Based Approaches to Waking Up, Taking Action, and Doing the Work of Healing

Additional Information
368 pages | 5.50" x 8.50"

In his debut poetry collection you are enough: love poems for the end of the world, Smokii Sumac has curated a selection of works from two years of a near daily poetry practice. What began as a sort of daily online poetry journal using the hashtag #haikuaday, has since transformed into a brilliant collection of storytelling drawing upon Indigenous literary practice, and inspired by works like Billy Ray Belcourt's This Wound is a World, and Tenille Campbell's #IndianLovePoems.

The poems follow the haiku format, often stringing together three lines to tell a story. With sections dealing with recovery from addiction and depression, coming home through ceremony, and of course, as the title suggests, on falling in and out of love, Sumac brings the reader through two years of life as a Ktunaxa Two-Spirit person. This collection will move you as Sumac addresses the grief of being an Indigenous person in Canada, shares timely (and sometimes hilarious) musings on consent, sex, and gender, introduces readers to people and places he has loved and learned from, and through it all, helps us all come to know that we are enough, just as we are.

Awards

• 2019 Indigenous Voices Awards Winner for Published Poetry in English

Additional Information
108 pages | 5.50" x 8.50"

Playing ball is what keeps Podium Sports Academy's basketball captain going when things get rough. When there's trouble back home, Allie turns to basketball. Ditto when her relationship is in trouble or when she's at odds with her friends. But then tragedy strikes when an old knee injury resurfaces and Allie is told she might not be able to play again. With her hope of a future as an elite basketball player gone, Allie is overwhelmed with dark thoughts and feels she has nothing left to live for. That is, until unexpected support comes from two unlikely sources: her folks back home and her friends at Podium, her home away from home.

Reviews
"I'm really impressed with the writing and character development. Dialogue is realistic, and the pacing is exciting. Will be recommending more from the Podium series." — Jaime Tong, Educator at Vancouver School Board

"Allie leads a cast of well-drawn, multicultural characters, some of whom have starred in other Podium books, giving a cohesive feel to this fictional high school. The action flows naturally, alternating between scenes of intense basketball action, solitary angst, and hanging with friends. Readers will identify with Allie’s struggles and second-guess her choices, making this a valuable and worthwhile read for all teens -- elite athletes or not. Gripping, relatable and fast-paced, these books will appeal to a wide-ranging audience, particularly to teens reading below age level."— Penny Draper, National Reading Campaign

"Hoop Dreams is the perfect book for my students who need a short novel to get them engaged in reading again."— Melissa S., Educator, NetGalley Reviewer

Educator & Series Information
The Podium Sports Academy series follows the lives of super-jocks at an elite high school as they train for a future in pro sports.

Interest age: From 13 To 18
Fry Reading Level [grade]: 2.9
Lexile Reading Level: HL550L

Additional Information
136 pages | 5.50" x 8.50"

When teens consider suicide, they often tell other teens-if not always directly, then in other ways. Updated with new facts, statistics, and resources, this book gives teens the information and insight they need to recognize the risk and respond appropriately. It spells out the warning signs, guides teens through the steps of reaching out to a friend, and explains when and how to seek help. It also suggests ways for teens to help themselves when they're feeling stressed or depressed.