Braiding Sweetgrass Evaluation

Matthew Finn
Professor Santos
2/13/18
ENG 102

Braiding Sweetgrass Evaluation

      

                

            The first book we read in class was Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The genre is nature and it's a great read for anyone interested in indigenous cultures and the importance of the plants and animals on the land. She tells mesmerizing stories that explains how the land can teach us as people how to coexist with nature. She uses the stories to reinforce her message and then explains the significance of that message.  Her stories were meant to prove a point to the reader and show the real importance of nature. I think Robin had far more strengths than weaknesses in this book. Mainly because of the many lessons throughout the story. Each story is a strength because it adds to her overall message that we can learn from nature and should preserve it. Another strength of hers, was explaining the significance and reasoning behind each of the stories. In the Chapter "The Three Sisters", Kimmerer talks about three vegetables, corn, beans, and squash. "Together these plants-corn, beans, and squash-feed the people, feed the land, and feed our imaginations". The three ingredients are a key to survival, but it also explains how each sister relies on the other. She does this throughout the book in a similar pattern. There is a story, she explains the relevance to the story, and then she adds a lesson into the bigger picture and gives you something to think about once you finish reading. If I had to pick out a weakness or two in the book, it would be the differing views throughout the book. There would be a chapter about climate change and we hear from "Robin the scientist" and other chapters all about the indigenous people and their ties to the land. It's the differentiating voices that got confusing for me at times. I'm not a huge fan of indigenous people and their tendencies, ways of life etc; which is why the book was not the easiest to read at times. I did not understand some of her stories and did not get the message she was trying to show. In the Chapter "Sitting in a Circle", Robin takes a group of students into the woods for a trip. They disconnect from technology and have to survive in nature. Had the possibility to be a kickass chapter but Robin doesn't explain it how I would've liked. One of the few chapters I felt I really connected with, but did not take away what I wish I could have. I read a review done by Lynn Schuessler and I disagreed with her take on this book. I disliked how she talked about the different angles that Robin took on in the book. I really did not like how unorganized and messy this book really was. I mean, she's trying to fix the world's problems by talking about the different problems. To me, you can write about wanting to make the world a cleaner place, but it is another thing to do so. She cares a great deal for the earth, and shows the importance of preserving it which is the highlight of the book. I would not recommend this book to anybody I care about. I would recommend this book to plant lovers and earth lovers. I think this type of book is meant for hippies, scientists, and nature lovers.