By: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Genre: Non-fiction, Naturalist
Publication Date: 2013
Publisher’s Description
“As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on “a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise” (Elizabeth Gilbert).
Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings—asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass—offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.”
Our Take
This beautifully written book helped us remember the importance of nature and how we are intricately connected to all living things. It was an eye opening experience to understand the world of nature, science, and spirituality through Robin Wall Kimmerer’s lens. We came away with a deeper respect for the bond we have with the earth. “As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”
food to share
This book club included celebrating one of our mamas for her birthday. To top it off, it was her book pick as well! So, of course we had to go all out and have her special request of Chile relenos on the menu. Everything was so good that it felt like it was everyone’s birthday!
on the menu:
- Chile relenos
- Cilantro and lime rice
- refried beans
- Homemade Roasted Salsa
- Fruit cups
Atmosphere
One of the major themes of the book was reciprocity. In the past, wealth was seen as having an abundance of leftovers of the earth’s resources to share. So we decided to do just that. anything we had extra of around our homes we gathered enough of to bring and share with one another at book club. some of the items we shared were:
- Fresh Garden herbs
- pumpkin seedlings
- poppy seeds
- butter (Not just any kind, but the kind that makes everything better… salted Grass-fed Butter!)
- Extra copies of a favorite magazine
It was so special to see what we all had an abundance of and to bring this distant practice to the present.
someone also brought these lovely Flowers from their yard, and we each took a bundle home.
discussion
- After reading “A mother’s Work”, how did you relate to this and your own motherhood journey?
- The author states, “Breathe in its scent… and you start to remember things you didn’t know you’d forgotten.” What kind of scents give you a specific memory?
- Do you view the earth as property or a gift? How can we appreciate this gift more in our own lives?
- How do you view how we utilize forests after reading how trees are connected and communicate with one another?
- After reading this book does anyone feel inspired to plant a garden?
quotes
“To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.”
“The most important thing each of us can know is our unique gift and how to use it in the world. Individuality is cherished and nurtured, because, in order for the whole to flourish, each of us has to be strong in who we are and carry our gifts with conviction, so they can be shared with others.”
“People often ask me what one thing I would recommend to restore relationship between land and people. My answer is almost always, “Plant a garden.” It’s good for the health of the earth and it’s good for the health of people. A garden is a nursery for nurturing connection, the soil for cultivation of practical reverence. And its power goes far beyond the garden gate—once you develop a relationship with a little patch of earth, it becomes a seed itself. Something essential happens in a vegetable garden. It’s a place where if you can’t say “I love you” out loud, you can say it in seeds. And the land will reciprocate, in beans.”