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

I got lost in this book. I could have kept reading it forever. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s words were like a drop of sanity in the chaos where we waste our world for the hunger for more. Her prose is beautiful. Her observations of passion and concern and our relationship with nature were wise. She tells a story of how to appreciate nature and how to look for meaning and importance beyond and with science. She speaks of her Potawatomi heritage and their teachings. Her own history as a botanist, human being, mother, daughter, and Native American. 

This is one of those books, where it is hard to come out without being altered somehow. It deepened my relationship with nature and made me more aware of our reciprocal relationship. Three things stopped me. The first one was the question of what one can give Mother nature when she has all? I kept wondering for days are respect, appreciation, and taking care of something you can gift, or should those be taken for granted? I don’t know. The second thing was when Robin Wall Kimmerer spoke of our individuality, how we have lost our communal rituals and replaced them with individual achievements. And I was like, yes! How can we feel connected to others if we solely concentrate on ourselves? It is no wonder we feel alienated and depressed. The third thing was when she shared the myths of her people and how they lay an important message still, especially the tale of Wendigo and its insatiable hunger. We have become Wendigos. You and I. I could pretend I’m not, but honestly, I live in this culture of overconsumption and have yet not to find a way to escape or make peace with my restless self.

A beautiful book on so many levels. I still transport back to it.

Thank you for reading, and have a beautiful day ❤