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A review by kelly_e
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
Title: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Genre: Non Fiction Environment
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: August 11, 2015
T H R E E • W O R D S
Wise • Meaningful • Absorbing
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer asks questions about nature through the lens of science. Through Indigenous knowledge, she explores the reciprocal relationship between humans and the natural world and presents the historical context of plants and animals as our oldest teachers.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Every once in awhile a book comes along and changes you, for me Braiding Sweetgrass was that book. I absolutely loved it!
Not only is this book and its message important, but it opened up my mind to so much ancient knowledge of the indigenous people and extensive personal reflections is so many different ways. I was instantly captivated by Robin Wall Kimmerer's poetic prose and vivid imagery. Each chapter/essay felt powerful its own way. Combining her scientific background and honest approach to learning with the teachings of the land, there's a beauty unlike anything else with each new idea she brings to the table. It broadened my ecological consciousness, it opened up a world of possibility in honouring the land and seeing the natural world as the greatest teacher, and spark much reflection on my own reciprocal relationship with the world around me.
The only thing that stopped this being a five-star experience is that at times it got overly repetitive, which created a lull in the immersive journey. With that being said, this is a book meant to be savoured, absorbed, and put into practice. I highly recommend reading while listening along to enhance the experience even more.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone who cares about our impact on the planet
• nature enthusiasts
• everyone!
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"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 comes 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."
"Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond."
"'Weep! Weep!' calls a toad from the water's edge. And I do. If grief can be a doorway to love, then les us all weep for the world we are breaking apart so we can love it back to wholeness again."
Author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Genre: Non Fiction Environment
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: August 11, 2015
T H R E E • W O R D S
Wise • Meaningful • Absorbing
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer asks questions about nature through the lens of science. Through Indigenous knowledge, she explores the reciprocal relationship between humans and the natural world and presents the historical context of plants and animals as our oldest teachers.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Every once in awhile a book comes along and changes you, for me Braiding Sweetgrass was that book. I absolutely loved it!
Not only is this book and its message important, but it opened up my mind to so much ancient knowledge of the indigenous people and extensive personal reflections is so many different ways. I was instantly captivated by Robin Wall Kimmerer's poetic prose and vivid imagery. Each chapter/essay felt powerful its own way. Combining her scientific background and honest approach to learning with the teachings of the land, there's a beauty unlike anything else with each new idea she brings to the table. It broadened my ecological consciousness, it opened up a world of possibility in honouring the land and seeing the natural world as the greatest teacher, and spark much reflection on my own reciprocal relationship with the world around me.
The only thing that stopped this being a five-star experience is that at times it got overly repetitive, which created a lull in the immersive journey. With that being said, this is a book meant to be savoured, absorbed, and put into practice. I highly recommend reading while listening along to enhance the experience even more.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone who cares about our impact on the planet
• nature enthusiasts
• everyone!
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"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 comes 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."
"Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond."
"'Weep! Weep!' calls a toad from the water's edge. And I do. If grief can be a doorway to love, then les us all weep for the world we are breaking apart so we can love it back to wholeness again."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Grief, Death, Genocide, and Animal death