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    From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way
    Unavailable
    From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way
    Unavailable
    From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way
    Audiobook9 hours

    From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way

    Written by Jesse Thistle

    Narrated by Jesse Thistle

    4.5/5

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    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    *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 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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateOct 1, 2019
    ISBN9781982143275
    Unavailable
    From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way
    Author

    Jesse Thistle

    Jesse Thistle is Métis-Cree, from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and an assistant professor in Humanities at York University in Toronto. From the Ashes was the top-selling Canadian book in 2020, the winner of the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Nonfiction, Indigenous Voices Award, and High Plains Book Award, and also a finalist for CBC Canada Reads. Jesse won a Governor General’s Academic Medal in 2016, and is a Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation Scholar and a Vanier Scholar. A frequent keynote speaker, he lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with his wife, Lucie, and is at work on multiple projects, including his next book. Visit him at JesseThistle.com.  

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    Reviews for From the Ashes

    4.5/5

    159 ratings21 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This book is hard to read but once started, it is hard to let is go...

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This book is a hard listen, but a very important listen. I appreciated that Jesse narrated his own story - I found this very powerful. Jesse's memoire is an exploration of loss, addiction and homelessness, but most importantly, an exploration on the profound impact of belonging and being loved.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Whoa! This memoir was a devastatingly emotional and intense journey of Jessie’s life. This is a heavy hitter and I was engulfed with by what cards life dealt him and I cried throughout the book. The true life struggles with abandonment, addiction, abuse, poverty and homelessness.

      His life was formidable, but he was able to overcome by his sheer determination…and that my friends is NOT an easy feat to achieve!!

    • 5/5
      That was incredible, powerful, heartbreaking and so eye opening to a whole other world.
    • 5/5
      Inspiring, heart felt, yet difficult to listen to at times due to the in depth trauma
    • 5/5
      I've started educating myself about our indigenous people and this book came my way because of a book club I participated in.
      I hate to say I enjoyed it because I dont like the idea of entertainment from someone trauma and hardship.
      I learned from Jesse's experience and it has changed my perspective on homelessness and addiction but also about the trauma endured by our First Nations.
      I would recommend this book and I am sure each one of us can find one way or another of connecting with Jesse's experience.
    • 5/5
      Heartbreaking, raw, and such an important read. I am so thankful I picked this book up. It will leave a lasting impression on me.
    • 5/5
      Great book! Loved that it was narrated by the author as well
    • 5/5
      What a powerful story. It is heartbreaking, empowering and educational. A must-read book.
    • 4/5
      The book as a whole was very insightful from how badly the homeless are treated to how we should never give up because there will always be a way.
    • 4/5
      I am very grateful that this life story was written down. It's given me a much better picture of the Canada I (rather ignorantly, it must be said) lived in.

      And I appreciate how much, even if he did skip over other things, the author tried to flesh out the perspectives of other figures (his grandfather and his father, for example) to give a fuller, fairer story.

      Altogether, I felt that hearing the author read the book was worthwhile because it offered more guidance about his intentions. It was clearer how he meant this observation or felt about that anecdote.

      The lasting impression of the book is not only depressing. Even before Jesse Thistle found his way, it is incredible how his body, mind and energy survived, albeit just barely.
    • 5/5
      A compelling beautifully written book. It is a story of courage and hope and a must read.
    • 5/5
      Great Book! Very real account of Jesse Thistles's life from his point of view. I appreciated the candid point of view. It was especially nice to have a positive ending to the book. I liked the fact that the author narrated the book too!
    • 5/5
      Can’t put the book down, gave me a lot of perspectives about how people s lives are so different from mine own, and I have so much respect Ive for people coming from a hard background and family environment. But at the same time, I can’t help thinking how much tax dollars are spent on people need shelters, medical helps because of additions and how much that is a burden to the society. More make me want to be a better parent
    • 4/5
      A very sad story of a young man who loses his way very early on and to no fault of his own. It is a raw account of his drug and alcohol addiction and eventually (thankfully) a rising to find his true calling. This book has parts that are hard to read given the graphic description of his addiction and homeless situation but important to really understand these issues that impact people everywhere. Insightful and well written.
    • 5/5
      Just wow. An incredible story that’s compulsively readable and exceptionally impactful. There was a point where after relying so much and being relied on by his brothers when they were young, he suddenly went off and I wanted to know how they were doing, but we eventually caught up to them and really this is Jesse’s story. Sometimes the story is important yet is lacking something in its form, but I felt like everything came together here for me: the writing, the structure, his storytelling, his reflection, the impact… it was a beautiful memoir.


      CW: Sexual assault
    • 4/5
      Jesse and his two older brothers (Metis-Cree) were abandoned by their parents when Jesse was only 3-years old (older brothers Jerry and Josh were 4 and 5). They spent a short time in a foster home before their paternal grandparents in Ontario came to get them. Jesse did not do well growing up – he got into trouble with alcohol and drugs, stealing, and he was off-and-on homeless. He was in and out of jail a few times before he eventually turned his life around.This was really good. Jesse also writes poetry and it is sprinkled throughout the book. The chapters are short and overall, the book is fairly quick to read. So many times I shook my head, and thought: ok, this has to be rock-bottom, when you’ll turn your life around. But it wasn’t. So many times. I also wondered occasionally how he remembered as much as he did looking back on his life, given all the drugs and alcohol, but he addressed this in a note at the end.
    • 5/5
      Are you ready to be swiftly taken by the wrist and not let go till the final page?
      Written with the most lyrical and raw prose is the love story of a broken family and the search for self.
      Thistle and his journey to find peace will hold you awe; will break your heart, make you laugh and bring you to tears.

      *Definitely for fans of Educated
    • 5/5
      Thoroughly enjoyed Thistle’s painful memoir but was so distressed that he had to experience such a dismal life for so long. Read it for my book club, and looking forward to hearing him read on Wednesday night.
    • 4/5
      This autobiography is one of the Canada Reads contenders for 2020. It tells the story of Jesse Thistle, a Metis child born into a dysfunctional family -- the father is an addict and abuses the mother. The mother leaves the boys with him, but he disappears and the children are taken in by their paternal grandparents. While the two older brothers seem to adjust well, Jesse is plagued by addictions and ends up living on the streets. In his story, we see the racism implicit in so many of his interactions with officialdom and with kids at school. We get an honest, unvarnished look at life on the streets -- addictions, petty crimes, jail time -- which is probably common among so many homeless people. Jesse is able to rise above this life through determination, some helping hands and, ultimately, love.
    • 4/5
      A fascinating and sad, but ultimately redemptive, read abouta Metis /Cree child and his journey into adulthood. It's one of five Canada Reads Contenders. This is an autobiography. Jesse is born into a dysfunctional family. His dad drinks and beats his wife. Shortly after Jesse's birth, his mother leaves. The children are left to their own devices and soon taken into government custody. Shortly after their paternal grandparents take the three brothers in. The grandparents try their best with the Jesse and his brothers, but are not really up to the task. Jesse ends up doing badly in school, getting addicted to drugs, committing petty crimes and eventually is thrown out by his grandfather to live on the streets. A very eye opening look at drug addiction, living on the streets, a few rounds of prison and eventually rehab. I imagine this is life for many of the people that we see on the street. It was really worth the read.Highly recommended. 4 Stars.