A retired boxer sets out in search of her daughter, Shyloh, an addict living with mental illness on the streets of San Diego. In Fort Unicorn and the Duchess of Knothing, Nelson tries desperately to find—and save—her first-born, delving into the roots of mental illness, addiction, and the meaning of unconditional love.

This memoir is an unflinching witness of what it means to be homeless, mentally ill, and addicted in America—and to love someone who is all of those things. Fort Unicorn is, more than anything else, a vivid and tender portrait of people who are too often invisible to society.

Fort Unicorn and the Duchess of Knothing is Nelson’s first published book. Several years before Shyloh's death, while in jail, sober and medicated, Shyloh asked her mother to help write a book chronicling her struggles and triumphs. Shyloh died before the book could be written, and Andrea felt compelled to tell her daughter’s story for her. The result offers an important perspective on homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. Nelson’s goal is to open eyes and hearts, so the story might inspire conversation and instigate change.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrea Nelson lives and coaches boxing in Madison, Wisconsin. When she’s not in the gym training her boxers, you can find Andrea tending her gardens, chickens, and bees, or running the nearby trails. She shares life with her partner, James.