There are some books that you pick up, and read and when you're done you're done. This is not that book; From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle will be a story that stays with you. It will break your heart in many ways, it will be frustrating to be a bystander reading the accounts, and it will be uplifting to see such resilience in a family that had so much going against them. We begin the memoir with Jesse as a young child living with parents who will soon abandon him and his two brothers. Three boys caught in a world that quickly spirals out of control; a brief period in the foster care system, a life with tough-love and eventually each boy chooses their own path. Unfortunately, Jesse finds himself on the street and incarcerated for petty theft. As a reader, it's tough to read because just when you think Jesse has had to hit rock bottom, he doesn't and you have to keep following him along on his journey.


I've read a lot of Indigenous reads but From The Ashes is very unique. While it's quite dark and raw at times; we are forced to see Jesse as homeless and drug-addicted but we can see him as a person struggling with life, a brother, a grandson and someone who gets caught up in the system. You don't wake up one morning and your life is put back together. Jesse has to come to terms with wanting help, but also fortunate enough to get help. Jesse is cut off from his culture, living in the city and we see him not wanting anything to do with his culture because he doesn't understand it. It can't possibly be in him because he was never taught it. His brother is the opposite; trying to learn as much as he can. Both of these scenarios are very relatable for Indigenous people. When you're reading this it's easy to forget that Jesse is Metis but he is. Jesse doesn't blame colonization, but you do see the cause and effect. Generations of broken, displaced people trying to make sense of where they are now.

I can't possibly capture the importance of this memoir, you really do need to pick it up whether you're Indigenous or not. This is the story of a boy left behind by parents who had their own stories. A boy raised by grandparents who did their best but also made their own mistakes. A boy who grew up to live on the streets but found the courage to get help, to recognize the love and support he had and be resilient. Read this, you'll want to talk about it when you're done. I'm so happy it has been selected by the Canada Reads 2020 Longlist, and I hope to see it on the Shortlist as well.

Purchase

Amazon
Chapters Indigo


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