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

A+

A-

B+

F+

F-

Rating

Current

To-Read

Read Sample

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

Robin Wall Kimmerer

October 15, 2013 / 391 pages / Nonfiction

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 lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider 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 are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.

↓ more

Nature

Indigenous People

Folklore

Tradition

Environmental Science

Memoir

↓ more

Writing Quality

Originality

Addictiveness

Re-readability

Movie Potential

Sequel Potential

My Rating

F+

F-

Major Themesautofill

Minor Themes

Fiction

Nonfiction

Writing Quality

Originality

Addictiveness

Re-readability

Movie Potential

Sequel Potential

Review (optional)500 left

started

finished

Save Rating

Title

Author

Release Date

Oct

2013

Page Count

Genre

Fiction

Nonfiction

Series

Cover Image

(Must be JPEG and less than 1 MB)

Synopsis

Submit

Mark book as duplicate

Reviews

sort

A beautiful collection of reflections about the land, indigenous pepole and traditions, and the path forward. The author moves seamlessly between personal stories, folklore, and science. A truly unique work. I listened to the audiobook, read by the author, and would recommend.

Grade: A– / staceen

/ Jul 20, 2020

I’ll probably come back and write a proper review someday. But I just finished Braiding Sweetgrass and my soul feels equal measures of full and empty for having finished. I can honestly say I have never read a book like this one. The topics touched on vary so wildly from economy, environment, to gratefulness, war, famine and belonging. I felt every single word in this book was important from the first word to the very last in the acknowledgment. I am not an Indigenous reviewer. So there were

Grade: A / BargainAndBooks

/ Jan 1, 2021

I really enjoyed this audiobook read by the author. It’s an coincidence to be reading it now, just when some bodies have been found under a Canadian school. The authors ancestors were sent to Carlisle Indian School. The book is a blend of science and folklore and it meanders, but like any good walk, it’s the journey, not the destination that is important. It took me a while to get into the the rhythm but it was well worth it, and the book can be picked up at intervals.

Grade: B / Bug

/ Jun 13, 2021

Walking through nature while listening to the audiobook, narrated by the author herself, makes for a sublime experience. Kimmerer has a consistent poetic rhythm to her observations of the earth and its inhabitants, both big and small. She delivers a stern critique of modern life, while staying true to her scientific process, so as not to come off as preachy. The most powerful sections are found in the middle of the book, where the author mixes tribal traditions with personal anecdotes.

Grade: A– / bennett_the_ceo

/ Dec 12, 2022

This book is phenomenal and so important in our current society. I love the combination of western science and traditional ecological knowledge. The author’s writing has altered my perspective on so many aspects of life and I can’t wait to revisit these essays and find more to get out of them. I learned so much, both about nature and about indigenous history, and I will be recommending this book frequently. It did take awhile to finish, mostly because I wanted to give it the focus it warrants.

Grade: A / HeathersCorner

/ Apr 24, 2022