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A review by gwalt118
From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way by Jesse Thistle
5.0
I always think it's difficult to review memoirs - how do you rate, critique, and even praise the writing of another person's life experiences? Memoirs are always real and raw and beautiful to me, even if they contain pain and sorrow. As I continue to write and journal and piece together what I hope will become a memoir of my own, I am increasingly drawn to non-fiction writing and others' memoirs.
Jesse Thistle's memoir is an incredible picture of a troubled childhood, a young adulthood fueled by drugs, addiction, and homelessness, and ultimately survival. At the beginning, it seems almost like it's going to be a book of vignettes, but slowly a throughline emerges. At times, especially the height of Thistle's addiction and homelessness, this memoir is hard to read. I cried more than once.
But it is a story worth pursuing because of what it teaches us about childhood trauma, drug addiction, criminalization of youth, and all of the social services and other supports that have to come together to help individuals not only survive these experiences but also thrive in what comes after them. That's the thing that sticks with me from Thistle's memoir, more than anything else - it is a memoir of one person's triumph over many evils, but it is also a lesson in the collective nature of recovery. None of us can do it alone, and no one should try to have to.
I listened to this novel, and I highly recommend that format. I almost always recommend audio for memoirs, because I think there is something inherently powerful in hearing someone tell their own story. I could hear the anguish in Thistle's voice, but I could also hear the self-respect beginning to come through and ultimately the pride in his heritage.
This was an absolutely incredible memoir. I am so glad someone recommended it for my IRL book club, and I can't wait to chat about it with friends later this month!
Jesse Thistle's memoir is an incredible picture of a troubled childhood, a young adulthood fueled by drugs, addiction, and homelessness, and ultimately survival. At the beginning, it seems almost like it's going to be a book of vignettes, but slowly a throughline emerges. At times, especially the height of Thistle's addiction and homelessness, this memoir is hard to read. I cried more than once.
But it is a story worth pursuing because of what it teaches us about childhood trauma, drug addiction, criminalization of youth, and all of the social services and other supports that have to come together to help individuals not only survive these experiences but also thrive in what comes after them. That's the thing that sticks with me from Thistle's memoir, more than anything else - it is a memoir of one person's triumph over many evils, but it is also a lesson in the collective nature of recovery. None of us can do it alone, and no one should try to have to.
I listened to this novel, and I highly recommend that format. I almost always recommend audio for memoirs, because I think there is something inherently powerful in hearing someone tell their own story. I could hear the anguish in Thistle's voice, but I could also hear the self-respect beginning to come through and ultimately the pride in his heritage.
This was an absolutely incredible memoir. I am so glad someone recommended it for my IRL book club, and I can't wait to chat about it with friends later this month!