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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way by Jesse Thistle
21 reviews
kelly_e's review against another edition
4.5
Author: Jesse Thistle
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.5
Pub Date: August 6 2019
T H R E E • W O R D S
Honest • Eye-opening • Important
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Abandoned by his parents as a child, From the Ashes is a memoir from Jesse Thistle, a Canadian Métis-Cree. After a stay in the foster care system, Jesse and his brother landed in the care of their paternal grandparents. Having endured his painful past, Jesse succumbed to addiction, petty crime and life on the streets. In a moment of clarity, Jesse knew he would die if he continued on the path he was on. A story of heartbreak and perseverance, of prejudice and racism, of Indigenous culture and education.
💭 T H O U G H T S
From the Ashes is a special book, and one of the most honest memoirs I've ever read. Filled with trauma and struggle, it's also filled with love and hope. Thistle gives incredible insight into addiction, homelessness, and indigenous culture and discrimination. It is my hope that this book will help open people's eyes, to empathize, to show compassion to those people who are afflicted with the disease of addiction, and to those who face trauma leading to undesirable circumstances. Jesse is a gifted storytellers and has filled this memoir with emotion delivering a story which will make you look at the world differently. My one wish would have been to have gained a little more knowledge and an more in depth look into Jesse's Indigenous roots.
If there is a book with a more powerful dedication, I have yet to come across it. Thistle pays tribute to the families of all those lost and missing Indigenous people, those robbed of their Indigenous identity through residential school or cultural erasure, and to those whose lives have been damaged by colonization.
A extremely raw and difficult, yet moving and inspiring story of resilience this should be essential reading for all Canadians.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• All Canadians!
• Fans of memoirs
• Readers looking to expand their understanding
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Mom used to think I was mute, but I could speak fine, I just chose not to. My words belonged to me, they were the only thing I had that were mine, and I didn't trust anyone enough to share them."
"All us criminals start out as normal people just like anyone else, but then things happen in life that tear us apart, that makes us into something capable of hurting other people. That's all any of the darkness really is—just love gone bad. We're just broken-hearted people hurt by life."
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, and Suicide
substance misuse, homelessnesstantheman's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Medical trauma
emmaslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Gun violence, Grief, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse
oliviapincin's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Sexual assault and Drug use
book_perk's review against another edition
4.5
I don't necessarily feel right trying to rate this book as it is so deeply personal but I will do my best to explain my thoughts. In general, I would rate this 5/5 because it was captivating and most of all Jesse's bravery in sharing his story and pain can be felt through each page. On a personal level, I would rate this a 4.5/5 star because I was hoping for a little more detail on how felt turning his life around, dealing with guilt for past mistakes, and reconnecting with family and his heritage. Nonetheless, I think this is a must read for everyone. Just make sure you look up trigger warnings ahead of time as there are a lot of them!
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Gore
Moderate: Blood, Excrement, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
alexandrarinas's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
ashcalfe's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Medical trauma, and Drug use
Moderate: Racism
sunsetcity's review against another edition
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
bretagnereads's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Bullying, Infidelity, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Excrement, and Domestic abuse
christinam's review against another edition
5.0
From The Ashes was a contender in Canada Reads 2020 and the 2nd best selling Canadian Book of 2020. Like most of the books I've read as of late, I don't think I would have read this on my own. We had the opportunity to virtually meet with Jesse and it was one of the highlights of 2020 for me. He was so open and honest with us as we asked questions about the book and his life. I can't thank him enough for taking the time to meet with us.
Over the last few weeks, I've struggled to find the words that'll do this book justice. And I've yet to find them. This book manages to be both heartbreaking and inspiring. No one should have any of the experiences Jesse outlines in this book. But in reality, some of the ordeals he went through are common for many individuals experiencing homelessness, struggling with substance abuse and battling their own inner demons. I've thought about this book at least once a week since I've finished it. About the ineffective policies, harmful myths and misconceptions, the moral superiority and stigma, that reinforce and act against folks who want to break cycles and forge a different path.
This book showed me how easy it is to reduce the multifacetedness of people who face some of the struggles Jesse details in his book to labels. It is necessary to understand they are complete people who are worthy of self-determination, respect and assistance on their terms without paternalism and contempt. When you find yourself ready to pass judgement, as you read this book or engage with initiatives for marginalized folks in your community, I ask that you introspect on those feelings. And then consider them from the perspectives of Jesse and others who have faced similar struggles as whole people and not labels.
Moderate: Drug use and Sexual assault