A review by rara2018
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

5.0

Reading this collection took me far too long, but I also appreciate having taken the time to really sit with some of these essays as I worked my way through it. This was my first time I’d ever tried the combination of reading a print copy while simultaneously listening to the audiobook, and I’m so glad I did for this book in particular. The overarching theme of the importance of reciprocity was what really drove this book and I appreciated the varied and complex ways in which it was addressed. I loved how the book was broken into sections with Tending Sweetgrass and Burning Sweetgrass being the sections that spoke the most to me (with particular emphasis on the former). “Witch Hazel” was a lovely story of camaraderie and compassion in times of loneliness. The duality of “A Mother’s Work” and “The Consolation of Water Lilies” were two of my favorites with the act of giving being a constant cycle and not one free of labor. Another duo of stories that I loved was both the stories surrounding the Windigo, with “Defeating Windigo” being one of the most compelling narratives in the collection. As someone with a degree in environmental science who still works in that area, I am immensely jealous of anyone who got to have Robin Wall Kimmerer as a professor. This book will be one I keep with me always and revisit time and time again. <i>Braiding Sweetgrass</i> should be mandatory reading for anyone with science degrees (or honestly any degree) since so much of the field has been at the expense and subjugation of indigenous people. Also, in late January, I had the privilege of listening to (and technically participating in since I pressed the clap react button on Teams) a brief presentation / Q&A session with Robin Wall Kimmerer for work. At the time, I was only around halfway done with the book, but it was so fascinating to hear some of her new thoughts and perspectives since it’s been over a decade since this book was first published.