Braiding Sweetgrass, Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants,
by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Available now in Paperback, Hardcover, eBook and Audio,
with study guides for many age groups

BRAIDING SWEETGRASS is the international phenomenon that catapulted Robin Wall Kimmerer to fame, and justifiably so.

Never before have I heard the story of pecans talking. Deep inside, I knew it to be true, but I have never heard it expressed before. Now I have.

I also learned the stories of Skywoman falling, maple sugar, witch hazel, the three sisters, and oh! so much more.

Kimmerer brings us the stories of her people, the Potawatomi Nation, the stories that have been kept in shadows for centuries. We have so much to learn from Native Americans about out corner of the Earth, so much that we can do to protect it, to help it flourish.

I am incredibly grateful to Kimmerer for writing these stories down. Perhaps now we might all do a bit better as guardians of the land.

A Snippet

I sat once in a graduate writing workshop on relationships to the land. The students all demonstrated a deep respect and affection for nature. They said that nature was the place where they experienced the greatest sense of belonging and well-being. They professed without reservation that they loved the earth. And then I asked them, “Do you think that the earth loves you back?” No one was willing to answer that. It was as if I had brought a two-headed porcupine into the classroom. Unexpected. Prickly. They backed slowly away. Here was a room full of writers, passionately wallowing in unrequited love of nature.

So I made it hypothetical and asked, “What do you suppose would happen if people believed this crazy notion that the earth loved them back?” The floodgates opened. They all wanted to talk at once. We were suddenly off the deep end, heading for world peace and perfect harmony.

One student summed it up: “You wouldn’t harm what gives you love.”

Talk a Little, Talk a Lot

All great reads, like this one, have themes or ideas, or just hints, for discussion topics in your book club. BRAIDING SWEETGRASS has tons to topics to talk about. Here are a few ideas for you:

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