“From the Ashes” by Jesse Thistle

Building resilience from within.

There may be different ways to describe this book, but if I had to pick a word to summarize what it is about, that would be resilience.

I consider myself to be a resilient person so was interested in reading Jesse Thistle's story.

TW - addiction, abuse and trauma

Thistle is a Métis-Cree man who started facing life challenges and struggles since he was a toddler, when he and his two brothers were abandoned by their parents. After years of going through the foster care system and living with his grandparents, Thistle eventually finds himself homeless and trapped in a self-destructive cycle of drug and alcohol addiction and petty crime.

Years go by like this - until he hits rock bottom and realizes that he needs to do something to change his life and begin a different one.

Yes, this  book is not easy to read. However, it is a moving memoir from a courageous man who decided to share his lived experiences and lessons in an honest and heartfelt way.

Heart wrenching at times, it is an inspiring story about perseverance and overall - as I mentioned at the beginning - resilience. Because in addition to the tough years, Thistle also walks the reader through how he found hope and successfully turned his life around to become a keynote speaker, a scholar, and an award-winning author.