#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER Winner, Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Nonfiction Winner, Indigenous Voices Awards Winner, High Plains Book Awards Finalist, CBC Canada Reads A Globe and Mail Book of the Year *An Indigo Book of the Year *A CBC Best Canadian Nonfiction Book of the Year In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle, once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous … extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle, once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar, chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is.
If I can just make it to the next minute…then I might have a chance to live; I might have a chance to be something more than just a struggling crackhead.
From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up.
Abandoned by his parents as a toddler, Jesse Thistle briefly found himself in the foster-care system with his two brothers, cut off from all they had known. Eventually the children landed in the home of their paternal grandparents, whose tough-love attitudes quickly resulted in conflicts. Throughout it all, the ghost of Jesse’s drug-addicted father haunted the halls of the house and the memories of every family member. Struggling with all that had happened, Jesse succumbed to a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime, spending more than a decade on and off the streets, often homeless. Finally, he realized he would die unless he turned his life around.
In this heartwarming and heart-wrenching memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful past, the abuse he endured, and how he uncovered the truth about his parents. Through sheer perseverance and education–and newfound love–he found his way back into the circle of his Indigenous culture and family.
An eloquent exploration of the impact of prejudice and racism, From the Ashes is, in the end, about how love and support can help us find happiness despite the odds.
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I don’t often read memoirs, usually there needs to be some specific reason why I do, like my book club made me – lol. From The Ashes by Jesse Thistle is my book clubs pick for September and I’ve been blown away! This is a raw, powerful look at familial abandonment, addiction, abuse, homelessness, desperation and imprisonment. It is also a beautifully written story of hope, perseverance, and found strength. A very difficult, brutal and heartbreaking read but one that should be on TBR list everywhere.
Searching for my Existence
Jessie and his brothers were abandoned by their parents and he walked in his father’s shadow. His grandparents took the boys in and raised them. Grandparents love their grandchildren and I know his grandparents loved him. The Grandparents have raised their children, they are older now and set in their ways. They try but I think they probably resent the parents not caring for their children and the responsibility falling to them. They are afraid that Jessie will follow in his father’s footsteps, which he does, and they do not want him to take his brother’s with him.
At a young age Jessie finds alcohol and drugs. His choices lead him to becoming an addict. His family , his brother’s try to help, and friends try to help, but the lure of the drug is too strong and he doesn’t have the will to fight it. It makes life easier and after a while it is his way of life. The darkness overtakes him and he is lost for a while.
He struggles and at times he tries to do better and to get out of the life, but it sucks him back in and he is once again lost. The horrors of addiction are real, the struggle to become clean and sober again is an insurmountable hope.
Thanks to caring people, and tremendous courage, he finally breaks free and rebuilds his life. The scars he carries with him both physical and metal will be with him forever. I think that for a very long time he will fight the demons and the darkness of drug addiction.
I am glad that he is back in the arms of his family and has a relationship with his aunt, his mother and his relatives. His story is truly one of pain, hopelessness and finally hope and love. I thanks Jessie for sharing it.
Thanks to Jessie Thistle, Atria Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy for an honest review.
From the Ashes, by Métis-Cree-Scot author Jesse Thistle, is a brutal, well-crafted, poignant read. He grabs you by the collar with his first words, pulling you into the pages of his life, and you fall wide-eyed with him, unable to look away, hoping to find an end to his suffering and self-injury, but seemingly, there is none. Every time his life seems to have reached bottom, he has not. Torn from his mother and then his near homeless, drug-addicted father and then falling prey to addiction, homelessness, prison, self-abuse, and injury, to places no child or adult should go, your heart bleeds with him and for him. It is a story of pain, suffering, systemic racism, and finally, a form of redemption and success.
The author bared his soul for the reader and put into words experiences that would make most speechless. His courage makes this an essential read for those who know someone dealing with self-abuse, addiction, and systemic racism.
In the author’s words in a CBC interview, he said, “If you look through the book, you’ll see flashes of light every time I was traumatized. The way that my mind works, it’s like looking through a shard of broken glass, with all the different light fragments. I can only capture them in one- and two-page memories because they either score my soul and I bleed too much or I can’t remember because my mind blocks it out. It was painful, but it was also very beautiful. These were really hard, painful, sharp memories.”
Jesse knew he was different from other kids, but he didn’t know what being Métis meant specifically for him. He grew up living with his grandparents after his mother moved on and his father disappeared due to addiction. It’s that cycle of addiction in families, specifically Native families, that gripped Jesse so early in life.
I appreciate Jesse’s approach to sharing his life with the readers through short stories encompassing each chapter. His story is so much more than just his battle with addiction, though we see the repercussions on those around him. He is frank in his retelling, never shying away from some painful realities. It’s a must-read for everyone, nicely done.
This is a truly remarkable memoir that should not be missed. Once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down.
Read my full review at https://ajackmccarthy.com/book-reviews/
From the Ashes is an illuminating, inside account of homelessness, a study of survival and freedom. Jesse Thistle delivers a painfully lyrical book, a journey through the torrents of addiction and trauma, masterfully sliding in humour and moments of heart-expanding human connection. I found myself gasping out loud at parts, unable to put the book down. Jesse’s story shows us that there is nothing that cannot be transformed.