The writer and journalist Jowita Bydlowska discusses her new memoir Unshaming: A Memoir of Recovery, Relapse, and What Comes After (Signal, 2026), with Joseph Planta.

Unshaming: A Memoir of Recovery, Relapse, and What Comes After by Jowita Bydlowska (Signal, 2026). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Unshaming

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

In 2013, Jowita Bydlowska published a critically acclaimed and bestselling memoir, Drunk Mom. The book was hailed and criticised for its honesty and candour. She explored her addiction to alcohol, and being a new mother. I talked to her about the book, and wished her well. As we read in her new book, Unshaming: A Memoir of Recovery, Relapse, and What Comes After, being a poster child for recovery put a lot of pressure on her. It was hard to cope, and when she spiraling into alcoholism, it was difficult coming back up and out, especially with the expectations of readers, and her growing son. The book is raw and often unsparing as Ms. Bydlowska explores the intricacies of shame, illustrating with her own behaviour and the feelings that accompany this harrowing journey. She works through a lot in the book, and provides something helpful for the reader, whether it’s the space to work through one’s own expectations, or how to have conversations with people who are contending with addiction issues. Jowita Bydlowska was born in Warsaw, Poland, and moved to Canada as a teenager. The second half of the book narrates two trips back to Poland that Jowita takes, and it’s fascinating to see her reconciling her past and present, especially when she’s in the throes of booze again. Visit www.jowitabydlowska.com for more. This new book is published by Signal, which is an imprint of McClelland & Stewart. We spoke a week and a half ago, with Jowita joining me from Toronto. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Jowita Bydlowska; Ms. Bydlowska, good morning.  

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