BooksCanada Reads 2020

From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle

From the Ashes is a memoir by Jesse Thistle.

Defended by George Canyon

CBC Books Posted: Jul 30, 2019 3:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 30, 2020

George Canyon is defending From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle on Canada Reads 2020. (CBC)

George Canyon defendedFrom the Ashes by Jesse Thistle on Canada Reads 2020.

About From the Ashes

From the Ashesis a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Mtis-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 heart-warming and heart-wrenching memoir, Jesse Thistle writes honestly and fearlessly about his painful past, the abuse he enduredand 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 Ashesis, in the end, about how love and support can help us find happiness despite the odds. (FromSimon & Schuster)

About George Canyon

George Canyonis one of Canada's biggest country music stars. He has won countless accolades and awards, including Juno Awards, CCMA Awards and ECMA Awards. He has been inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame, recorded 12 albumsand was recently presented a certified platinum award for his debut albumOne Good Friend.He is also ahumanitarian, strong supporter of the military and the national spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Canada.

George Canyon onFrom the Ashes

Amanda Brugel on the importance of championing intersectional stories

4 years ago

3:14

In the Canada Reads 2020 finale, The Handmaids Tale star and her fellow panellists debate the necessity for the stories told in their contending books.

George Canyon and Kaniehtiio Horn discuss 'trauma porn' and portrayals of Indigeneity in literature

4 years ago

2:24

During the opening round of Canada Reads 2020, the two panellists got into a spirited exchange.

About Jesse Thistle

Jesse Thistle is aMtis-Creeacademic and recipient of the Governor General's Silver Medal in 2016. Heis also a Trudeau and Vanier Scholar.From the Ashes is his first book.

Why Jesse Thistle wrote From the Ashes

"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 shardof 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 muchor 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 Thistle

"It was painful, but it was also very beautiful. These were really hard, painful, sharp memories. ButI also saw there were peoplethat were trying to help me, like the kind shop owner who gave me food or my friend at the shelter who watched out for my shoes. My brother Jerryalways took care of me and took me in and I had a lot of support from my wife,Lucie. It'sthe good and the bad."

From the book

Frenzied squeaks of jail-issued blue deck shoes on sealed cement followed by wet smacks, fast pops, loud cracks, and finally a dull thud confirmed it. A guy lay crumpled on the range floor, our range quartermaster told us. He wasn't conscious. His legs were seized straight, quivering uncontrollably.

We didn't need to see it with our own eyes. The unseen, the unknown, in jail is often worse than the seen, the known. The next day, after cell search, I heard that he had died en route to hospital.

Someone said he'd stolen a bag of chips from another inmate's canteen, but who knew?

Who cared?

It was jail justice. The thief got what he deserved. According to us, according to society. At least that's what I told myself. All I knew for sure was that I didn't know anything and I hadn't seen anything. I'd only heard it, but I wouldn't even tell the guards that much. I had to survive, and the only way you did that was by keeping your mouth shut, turning your head away.

What was I doing here in jail anyway? Why had I put myself in the midst of this filth, this horrible violence?

The answer was simple.

I did it to save my leg and my life.

FromFrom the Ashesby Jesse Thistle2019. Published by Simon & Schuster.

Interviews with Jesse Thistle

George Canyon and Alayna Fender discuss the merits of fiction and nonfiction in depicting relatable stories

4 years ago

3:04

The two panellists engaged in a debate over whether nonfiction or fiction is better at resonating with readers and fostering meaningful conversations.

Success and second chances: Jesse Thistle

9 years ago

3:08

He was homeless... in and out of jail, and addicted to drugs. But these days - perseverance is paying off for Jesse Thistle. He's celebrating his graduation from York University. Nil Koksal introduces us.

Confronting Mtis trauma: Jesse Thistle's story

8 years ago

1:02

Confronting Mtis trauma: Jesse Thistle's story

Ideas1:30After years of searching for her son, Jesse Thistle's mom finds him in a rehab facility.

After years of searching for her son, Jesse Thistle's mom finds him in a rehab facility.