Jesse Thistle

George Canyon is defendingFrom the Ashesby Jesse Thistle onCanada Reads2020.

Canada Reads2020 will take place July 20-23.

• Meet theCanada Reads 2020contenders

About Jesse Thistle

Jesse Thistleis Mtis-Cree, from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is an assistant professor in Mtis Studies at York University in Toronto. He won a Governor General's Academic Medal in 2016and is a Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation Scholar and a Vanier Scholar.

From the Ashes is his first book.

• Trauma research brings pain, healing to academic Jesse Thistle
• Formerly homeless Mtis scholar rewrites the definition of Indigenous homelessness
• From street to scholar: Jesse Thistle creates new definition of Indigenous homelessness

Why Jesse Thistle wroteFrom 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."

Read more in his interview with CBC Books.

Interviews with Jesse Thistle

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

4 years ago

Duration 3:04

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

Jesse Thistle and George Canyon on Canada Reads 2020

5 years ago

Duration 5:57

Country singer George Canyon will defend Jesse Thistle's memoir From the Ashes on Canada Reads 2020. Ahead of the debates, the musician and first-time author chatted about what it was like to write a very personal book.

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

4 years ago

Duration 2:24

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

Amanda Brugel on the importance of championing intersectional stories

4 years ago

Duration 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.

Good Relatives: Trauma, resilience, and revitalization with author Jesse Thistle

4 years ago

Duration 22:14

Jesse Thistle's remarkable memoir, From the Ashes, about hope and resilience as a Mtis-Cree man has inspired countless readers.This spring, as part of Canada Reads and before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thistle visited Labrador to speak with people about his experiences and his book.Good Relatives is a look at that trip, the people he met along the way, and what the way forward looks like for him.

He was homeless for 10 years, now he's putting forward solutions

5 years ago

Duration 6:48

Author and scholar Jesse Thistle published an official definition of Indigenous homelessness in Canada after living it.

Confronting Mtis trauma: Jesse Thistle's story

8 years ago

Duration 1:02

Confronting Mtis trauma: Jesse Thistle's story

Ideas53:59Return of the Michif Boy: Confronting Mtis trauma

By reconnecting with his birth mother PhD student Jesse Thistle came to understand the effects of intergenerational trauma. His award-winning research shines a light on the struggles and the resilience of Mtis communities in northern Saskatchewan.

TheCanada Reads2020 contenders

• Alayna FenderdefendingSmall Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Clubby Megan Gail Coles
• Akil AugustinedefendingRadicalizedby Cory Doctorow
• Amanda Brugel defendingWe Have Always Been Hereby Samra Habib
• Kaniehtiio HorndefendingSon of a Tricksterby Eden Robinson
• George CanyondefendingFrom the Ashesby Jesse Thistle