Book Review: From the Ashes (memoir) by Jesse Thistle

From the Ashes

Jesse Thistle

Simon & Schuster Canada

2019

I saw him on the street. He smiled and I smiled back.

"Thank you," he told me. "All I want is to be treated like a human being. Most people hurry past as fast as they can. They don't even want to acknowledge me."

I walked away thinking how did he end up on the street? What would he have to do to get off of them?

In his, at times brutally honest, memoir Jesse Thistle gives a voice to the homeless.

How did Jesse wind up on the street?

It was a combination of things--home life, school environment, but I think the answer could be boiled down to one conversation. Jesse is told, by a friend, '"You're just a dirty Indian."'and '"You'll probably die drinking like they all do."' (p. 86-87) Faced with this prejudice, the words vibrated in his skull and he was unable to shake them. 

What brings him home?

It was only when Jesse lost everything that he was able to start to rebuild himself. An important step in rebuilding himself was learning the truth about his ancestors. They were chiefs, political leaders and resistance fighters. People to look up to and admire.

What keeps him home and away from the streets?

Jesse writes of his wife Lucie:  'When I am lost at sea and drowning, her arms rescue me.' (p. 341)

From the Ashes is not an easy book to read. Some passages are downright depressing, but I strongly recommend this book. You'll learn about struggle, resilience, and triumph. 

'Abby's treasure' photo by ldyck

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Encouraged by your support of A Woman Like Her

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and your interest in Feeling Groovy

Part one

Part two

Part three

This summer, I'll treat you to the extended version of Feeling Groovy--starting Sunday, July 11. I'll continue to add to the story twice a week--Sunday and Wednesday. 

My only question is, "Are you ready for the summer?"

It's time to celebrate

I'm fully vaccinated

photo by bdyck

Sharing my Autbor Journey...

With one manuscript in my beta's reader's hands, I've turned my attention to another one.

Book Review: The Shoe on the Roof by Will Ferguson

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Published in 2017

Published by Simon and Schuster Canada

Thomas is a medical student specializing in the brain, and his life is falling apart. He's flunking out of university and has trashed his romantic relationship. But don't worry, he has a plan--or at least an experiment. 

I enjoy entertaining books that make me think. I read The Shoe on the Roof, it made me think and then I wrote...

If (big if) religion no longer has relevance in our society, what has replaced it? Science? Some may say, good riddance--citing the horrors done in the name of religion. But what of the horrors done in the name of science--especially in the treatment of the insane?

More...

This summer I also read...

Published in 2007

Published by Penguin Canada

What if a self-help book worked.

Target reader:  Writers building their career

'Joy is supposed to be fleeting and transitory, because it was never meant to be permanent.' (p. 267)

I bought Happiness from my local bookstore Books on Mayne
You may find it at your local bookstore or on Amazon.

photo by ldyck

Next Post:  Sunday, September 23 (at approximately 5 PM PST)
In Icelandic (short story) was inspired by something my grandma saw on a bus.

'Abby patiently waiting to continue her walk' photo by ldyck

Sharing my author journey...

I remember telling a supervisor, "I wish my skills were transferable." (Telling your boss that you want a different career isn't the smartest move, but you know.)

I didn't know then what I know now...

Book review: Bag of Bones by Stephen King

I can think of few better ways to celebrate this special time of the year than by reading a book by Stephen King.

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Blurb form the back of the book:  Four years after the sudden death of his wife, forty-year-old bestselling novelist Mike Noonan is still grieving. Unable to write, and plagued by vivid nightmares set at the western Maine summerhouse he calls Sara Laughs, Mike reluctantly returns to the lakeside getaway. There, he finds his beloved Yankee town held in the grip of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore, whose vindictive purpose is to take his three-year-old granddaughter, Kyra, away from her widowed young mother, Mattie. As Mike is drawn into Mattie and Kyra's struggle, as he falls in love with both of them, he is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs, now the site of the ghostly visitations and escalating terrors. What are the forces that have been unleashed here--and what do they want of Mike Noonan?

What stood out for me, while I read, were the comments about a writing life. Mr. King spells out an easy road to success--write a book, attract a well established publisher, keep writing. This is the road to success that protagonist Michael Noonan followed. He kept writing--producing one book a year and storing other manuscripts as a safety net. And I wondered could I do that? Could I squirrel away manuscripts like nuts against a cold winter? Could I wait to save my words instead of sharing them with you, my reader? At this point in my career, that's the position I've been forced into. I'm not storing my manuscripts. They are being stored for me in slush piles. And it feels like I'm existing in purgatory--will I get the reward of a good writer and be published or pay for my sins by being rejected? 

'This is how we go on:  one day at a time, one meal at a time, one pain at a time, one breath at a time... If you write books, you go on one page at a time.' (p. 361)

Thank heavens for this blog. Thank heavens that I have this outlet for expression.

'The writing had burned off all thoughts of the real world, at least temporarily. I think that, in the end, that's what it's for. Good or bad, it passes the time.' (p. 492)

And yet, even in paradise there can be trouble. Michael Noonan built a successful writing career but four years ago the love of his life died. Now, he is alone living in his own purgatory. He finishes writing the book he started while his wife was alive and then... and then... 

'And except for notes, grocery lists, and checks, that was the last writing I did for four years.' (p. 34)

I wonder if non-writers can feel the full weight of the sorrow expressed in those words?

2014 has been a very productive year for me. I have made over 50 submissions to publishers. 1 play, 11 short stories, 4 short story collections, 2 novellas and 2 novels have been slipped into envelopes and deposited into mailboxes. I can't imagine not being able to write--I don't want to. It would be like not being able to speak or losing the use of my left arm. 

So, maybe, that's the lesson. Instead of yearning for what is yet to be. I should embrace and celebrate what I have. I should celebrate my creative, fertile mind.

'[I]n dreams, perhaps everyone is a novelist.' (p. 54)

Sharing my author journey...

Book Review: Open Secret a mystery by Deryn Collier

Open Secret is Deryn Collier's latest novel featuring her protagonist, ex-solider Bern Fortin.

The mystery begins when a low-level criminal is murdered. Who he is and why he was killed are intriguing questions but I was equally captured by the sub-plots.

As always, I took notes as I read...

I found the sheer number of characters introduced in the beginning of the novel confusing. But the characters are intriguing.

Collier does a good job of amassing sympathy within her readers for Cindy--as well as making me curious as to how this character fits into the story. She's not mentioned in the blurb at the back of the book...

After the abrupt end of his military career Bern has settled into an uneasy peace in his new life in Kootenay Landing--a peace he knows can't last. Out for a fall hike, he discovers Dr. Juniper Sinclair, the town's lone doctor, attempting to revive small-time drug dealer Seymour Melnychuk, who has been shot in the forehead. In a seemingly unrelated incident, Gary Dowd abandons his van while crossing the US border. Gary is a local father of two, an accountant, and a steady, predictable guy. He's also been best friends with Seymour Melnychuk since elementary school.
Bern knows the two disturbing events must be related. Why was Dr. Sinclair already on the scene? Why did Gary Dowd disappear while trying to cross the border? Who truly controls the hills and forests around Kootenay Landing? Berin, with police constable Maddie Schilling, works to uncover the hidden ties that connect the two cases.
Amidst the chaos of the case, Bern's military background comes back to haunt him, forcing him to confront the secrets of his own past that he has long sought to keep buried. Everyone has something to hide, and no one in Kootenay Landing seems willing to talk. But Bern Fortin is well aware that no secret can remain buried forever--not even his own.

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which makes me think that Cindy is a minor character. Yet we travel back to the 1980s to watch her grow up. And entire chapters are devoted to her character development. Why? I read on...

In the middle of the third chapter, our focus shifts from a policewoman to an unnamed man. I was lost for a few sentences. I guessed that the man must be Gary--but he's only referred to as 'he'. Seven paragraphs in, he's referred to as Gary and I'm relieved that I guessed right. And then the focus shifts from Gary to Bern. 

Page 31 answers the question of how Cindy fits into the plot. But I know there's more to learn. I read on...

I like how Collier is able to portray life through the eyes of a child.

Page 42 reveals Collier's skill at character development.

It's like being a new neighbour, I'm starting to figure out who everyone is.

I read not only for pleasure but to sharpen my writing skills. Reading Open Secret has helped me learn how to handle a character with an accent...
Tell your reader about the accent (i.e. thick, etc.) and then write words as a person with no accent would say them. Don't try to mimic the accent. There is less chance of getting the accent wrong and appearing comical. And you pay more respect to people with that accent.

Chapter 13 ends on such a powerful note.

Open Secret has a depth of plot as well as layers of clues. Collier uses her book to comment on Canada's treatment of Aboriginal youth and women as well as the poor and those involved in the drug culture.

Other themes...
A fragile woman is not quite as fragile as she appears. 
The strength of women to overcome, to conquer.
The exploitation of the innocent

An Open Secret is like an exposed wound--raw, painful. How do you live with it? How do you heal?
Many characters must struggle with these questions. The reoccurring message is to make your mistake public. Then pick up the pieces and move on.

Thank you, Deryn Collier for his captivating read. I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy for my mother-in-law.
***
Friday's Guest:  New York Times best-selling author Leann Sweeney
***
I'll be attending the Crime Writers of Canada mini conference at the Victoria General Library this Saturday (May 24th) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Mental note:  pack a lunch) 
Will you?
It's free.
And this is my fourth year (I think) attending. Year after year, I've never been disappointed. I come away with a mind loaded down with information and inspiration. And it's information that I can apply to whatever genre I'm writing. 
For more details visit Facebook
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Sharing my author journey...
Have you heard, the more submissions you make the less rejection will hurt?
Ever wonder if it's true...