Who is Terese Marie Mailhot from the nonfiction book, Heart Berries?

Terese Marie Mailhot is the author, narrator, and main character of Heart Berries. She is a Native American woman and a professional writer with an M.F.A. in creative writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Mailhot's childhood was challenging in many ways. She had to deal with poverty, an absent and abusive father, and neglect, among other things. She spent time living on a native reserve and other times in foster care, although she does not go into much detail about her experiences in the system. As a teenager, Mailhot left home and married her boyfriend, Vito, in the hopes of finding a safe home of her own. The relationship quickly dissolved while Terese was pregnant with their second child. She lost custody of their first son in the divorce, but maintained full custody of her newborn and moved away to start a new life.

While studying at college, Terese begins a somewhat tumultuous relationship with one of her teachers named Casey. She also suffers a mental health crisis and commits herself for treatment. Although she suffers from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, an eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, and bipolar II, Terese is self-aware and in control enough to know that she is not well and to seek help. Her mental health ebbs and flows, particularly when she gets pregnant again and has to stop taking her medication. However, she is committed to her therapy and overall her health appears to improve.

Mailhot appears to have conflicting feelings about her cultural identity. She questions her responsibilities as a Native writer and attempts to portray her characters (particularly her indigenous characters) with humanity rather than symbolism or stereotype. At the same time, she recognizes the elements of their characters that do reinforce certain stereotypes and addresses that problem directly. Mailhot's writing is full of symbolism and stories from her cultural heritage and emulates the style of Salish art in its abstraction. Mailhot often writes about cultural disconnects and feelings of being judged, shamed, or discriminated against by the dominant white culture.