From The Ashes: My Story of Being Metis, Homeless, and Finding My Way, by Jesse Thistle
Simon & Schuster - 2019
Memoir
Memoir
Audiobook
9 Hours, 55 Minutes
Read by the Author
#1 National Bestseller
Finalist, Kobo Emerging Writer PrizeFinalist, 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
 |
| *Quick Reviews are slightly less formal reviews using the publishers summary |
From The Ashes, by Jesse Thistle is my choice to fulfill item number 4 - People Person Books - Read a Biography or memoir, for my 20 For 2020 Book Challenge.
Publisher's Summary:
In this 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.
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.
My thoughts:
I bought a copy of this book because it was a finalist for CBC's Canada Reads 2020. I try to read at least a few from the list every year. (Unfortunately this year's competition was cancelled due to COVID 19 concerns). As my reading time fell off rather suddenly, I ended up listening to the audiobook
From the Ashes, by Jesse Thistle is an important and deeply moving memoir. Thistle is able to chronicle his story from trauma, to tribulation and ultimately love and redemption, It is a testament to both the fragility and strength of the human spirit.
With heart wrenching honesty Thistle describes his life from unstable childhood into addiction and life on the streets, and eventually the difficult recovery and mastery over his demons. As a reader with a certain amount of privilege, it is a good reminder that many addicts and street people more often than not, come from a place of pain. His openness and honesty in his writing resulted in a recounting that is tough and gritty, yet not without love and hope.
By reading the story himself for the audiobook, the listener is graced with with experience of listening to his story in his words and hearing it as though it is a first hand telling.
This memoir is an important book for Canadians as we work towards a future where there is more empathy and understanding and less judgement and racism.
Happy Reading,
Christine
No comments:
Post a Comment