Braiding Sweetgrass Evaluation

Kaylen Kozlowski

Professor Melissa Santos

ENG-102-037

13 February 2018

Braiding Sweetgrass Evaluation

            Braiding Sweetgrass is a nonfiction novel written by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Kimmerer explains her personal experiences with nature, teaching students about nature and many creation stories from the earlier generations of the Potawatomi Nation. While Kimmerer told us her personal experiences with nature, she explained the gifts that nature gives to us and how we should not have to pay for them. This book was very interesting due to the many times it explained the many beneficial aspects nature as to offer.

            Being from a city, I was not aware of all the different parts of nature that can provide for you when there are no grocery stores around. For example, I learned about the cattails. There are cattails around my city in the marshes by some of the fields but I never knew what the purpose of them were. In the chapter Sitting in a Circle, Kimmerer stated, “In turn, the plant supports the people. Cattail leaves, split and twisted, are one of the easiest sources of plant cordage, our string and twine.” (page 227) Along with cattail being used for string and twine, it is also used for soothing sunburns, to build shelter, a waterproof barrier and food. I never knew anything about this plant that I see very often around the city I live in. this book had opened my eyes to the many things one plant can do for us.

            When I first started reading the different creation stories, I did not think that I would end up liking the book. The Skywoman creation story in the first chapter was hard to believe in my opinion, but once we read the story of “The Gift of Strawberries” I became more intrigued with the creation stories. “The Gift of Strawberries” was a story about the Skywoman’s daughter who had died and strawberries began to sprout from her chest. They called the strawberries “heart berries” because they were in the shape of a heart and sprouted from the daughter’s heart. I suggest to this book to anyone who wants to learn more about nature and the gifts it has to offer. The stories that Kimmerer had shared has changed my perspective on nature for the better. Kimmerer made the stories that she shared relateable because she was professor and connected some of the stories with some of her students which made it interesting to see how people my age would react to nature and if it was similar to my reaction. Before reading, I was unaware of the meaning behind each of natures’ gifts on Earth and how we can preserve them, after reading I feel as though I know more about nature through Kimmerers’ stories and experiences. This was a very good book and I would recommend it to people who want to learn more about nature.