FORT McMURRAY — After receiving more than a half dozen nominations for literary awards, Elder Robert Cree is now bringing home the trophies.
Cree’s memoir, The Many Names of Robert Cree, has earned a silver medal at the 2026 Independent Publisher Book Awards, marking the book’s third award win while adding to a growing list of national and international recognition.
The latest honour follows an Alberta Literary Award for best memoir from the Writers’ Guild of Alberta earlier this month and a bronze medal at the 2026 Axiom Business Book Awards, where Cree became the first Indigenous author recognized in the memoir-biography category.
The memoir has also been nominated for a High Plains Book Award, with winners to be announced in October, and was a finalist for the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for best nonfiction.
Published by ECW Press of Toronto, the memoir chronicles Cree’s childhood in the residential school system and his journey toward healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. A member of Fort McMurray 468 First Nation, Cree writes about surviving a system designed to erase Indigenous culture before becoming a respected Elder and spiritual leader dedicated to building understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
Cree said he never expected his personal story would receive such widespread recognition and hopes it continues helping readers better understand reconciliation and Indigenous experiences.
The audiobook edition is narrated by Indigenous actor Lorne Cardinal and is available alongside print and electronic editions through major booksellers.
Founded in 1996, the Independent Publisher Book Awards recognize excellence in independently published books across more than 100 categories.
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