Heather Shtuka’s memoir, Missing from Me, is a powerful account of love, loss, and the strength it takes to turn personal tragedy into a mission of advocacy.
In the quiet beauty of a Canadian ski town, Heather’s life was changed forever when her son Ryan went missing. What followed was an unrelenting search for answers that transformed her from a devoted mother to a voice for families enduring the heartbreak of a missing loved one.
Joe Lyons-Rising’s story is a remarkable testament to resilience, empathy, and the power of turning personal tragedy into a mission of purpose.
Having faced the unimaginable loss of both parents to suicide during his childhood, Joe has dedicated his life to helping others navigate the complexities of grief, trauma, and mental health challenges. His book, Pain Remixed, is a heartfelt and deeply personal exploration of healing, offering practical tools and invaluable insights drawn from his own journey toward recovery.
Trigger warning: this post mentions sexual assault on a minor.
At Tellwell, we have the privilege of working with authors from all over the world, each one with their own unique story, giving us the chance to see so many different facets of life. Recently, we had the pleasure of working with the family of Albert Etzerza, who realized Albert’s dream of becoming an author.
At the end of 2020, Albert’s wife, Rose and her five sons published Albert’s book, The Good, The Bad and The Innocent: The Tragic Reality Behind Residential Schools, an Albert Etzerza Story. It was one of Albert’s dreams to have his story published, and they helped him accomplish it after he passed away. Since publishing, they’ve gone on to host book giveaways, run social media campaigns, and gain mentions in local media across British Columbia. As a team, Rose and her sons helped Albert’s book hit the Amazon Best Seller list in three different categories: History of First Nations in Canada, Canadian Biographies, and First Nations in Canada.
Their teamwork, creativity, and drive are just a few of the reasons why we are featuring Albert as Tellwell’s author of the month!
We love celebrating our authors’ success, but it is the content of Albert’s book, and the fact that he bravely shared his story, that inspires us most of all.
Albert Etzerza is a survivor of the Lower Post Indian Residential School. He was only six-years old when he began attending Lower Post, which was part of Canada’s Indian Residential School system, a system rooted in colonization and the oppression and killing of Indigenous people. In 1991, Albert spoke out about the abuse he endured throughout his years spent at Lower Post, including the fact that he was repeatedly molested by a school supervisor. Albert eventually took the Canadian government to court for the abuse he was subjected to and the trauma he was left to deal with. He then went on to write The Good, The Bad, and The Innocent to share his story and offer people a look at the tragic reality behind residential schools in Canada; and, to help other residential school survivors heal and find hope.
We were fortunate to speak with Rose, Albert’s wife, to learn more about Albert’s story and hear how the book is being received across Canada.
Don’t miss the chance to read an excerpt from The Good, The Bad, and The Innocent at the end of this post!
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Rose, Tahltan/Tlingit First Nation, artist and a mother of five boys.
