Jesse Thistle is the author and narrator of From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way. Thistle is Métis: His father, Sonny, is Algonquin-Scot, while his mother, Blanche, is Métis-Cree. Growing up, he spends little time with his parents. He moves homes multiple times between his mother, his father, the Children’s Aid Society, and a foster home before finally being taken in by his paternal grandparents, all before he has even started kindergarten.

Thistle is the youngest of three brothers, and through his recollections, he appears to be the most disconnected from his heritage and community. While all three brothers struggle in school, Thistle gets in the most trouble and continues to do so while growing up. By the time he is in his final years of high school, which he initially doesn’t complete, he has been labelled a “troublemaker.” Thistle deals with addiction and turns to crime early in life. This is perhaps compounded by his grandfather’s constant assertion that Thistle is like his father and is headed for a similar, destructive life.

Thistle is the only one among his brothers to experience homelessness. He spends a number of years physically adrift and emotionally estranged from most of his family.