From the Ashes

From the Ashes is a 2019 memoir by Métis-Cree academic and writer Jesse Thistle. The memoir documents Thistle's difficult upbringing, struggles with homelessness, addiction and his Indigenous identity, yet is centred on the theme of love. It concludes with his success in academia, finding love, and community emplacement. From the Ashes is the bestselling Indigenous memoir in Canada over the last 20 years, ranking 4th overall of Canadian memoirs published between 2006-2021, behind only Chris Hatfield, Wayne Gretzky, and Amanda Lindhout. The book was met with praise from reviewers, attracted awards for Thistle and was a Canadian bestselling book in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Author Jesse Thistle is a Métis-Cree professor at York University who researches Michif road allowance life in mid 20th-century Saskatchewan. He has also worked in the fields of Indigenous homelessness, addiction and intergenerational trauma. From the Ashes is Thistle's first book.