From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle
Jesse and his two brothers were abandoned by his parents at a young age. They end up in foster-care, and ultimately wind-up living at their grandparents. Their grandpa is a severe and unyielding man, who the boys end up in fights with constantly. Through their stay there, Jesse’s recurrent memories of his drug-addicted father overshadow the feelings he has for all his family members. Battling with all that has happened in his life, he submits to a life of addiction and minor crimes. These actions only lead him further into the downward spiral that is his life, and he ends up spending close to 10 years living on and off the streets. After a series of physically trying incidents, he realizes he isn’t going to survive much longer unless he puts his life back together.
This courageous and raw memoir from Jesse is an extremely powerful read. Parts of the book can be distressing to read, but the beauty revealed in the end is beyond comparison.
From the Ashes is not only a #1 National Bestseller, but has also won the following awards:
- Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Non-fiction
- Indigenous Voices Award
- High Plains Book Award
- An Indigo Book of the Year
- CBC Best Canadian Nonfiction Book of the Year
Jesse Thistle is Métis-Cree and a professor at York University in Toronto. His historical research has been published through several academic journals and featured through CBC Ideas, CBC Campus and Unreserved.
