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.

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

Livestream: Andrea Nelson w/ Doug Moe

About the book

About the author