Braiding Sweetgrass Review

Heather Hogan

ENGL 102-037

2/13/18

Book Review 1

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is an extremely touching book. She incorporates what lessons she has learned throughout her life as a Native American and educates those not familiar with their views and culture. Kimmerer is a scientist and educator who uses her cultural background to guide the way she views her world. This a great read for nature lovers, and those who need a reminder to love nature.

The book does not need to be read in order, as our class did not. Each chapter contained it’s own story, complete with lessons. Each chapter offers something new. For example, the Thanksgiving adress vs Pledge of Allegiance, gift economies rather than market economies, and the story of corn, beans, and squash.

Kimmerer drives home the importance of reciprocity in her book. Specifically, the reciprocity we must have with the Earth. Everything in her life is worthy of reciprocity, including wild strawberries, the soil, and Native languages. Of all the lessons in the book, that is the most important. She even teaches her students to view life this way. This need for reciprocity begins with the beginning of everything. In her culture, there is the Creation story of the Skywoman. The first chapter of the book welcomes readers by retelling the story of how Skywoman fell. When she fell, the animals at the end of her fall aided her survival. Since the animals helped her, she returned their kindness by creating the Earth.

The story of Skywoman is very important for many reasons. Mainly, it gives an explanation of how the Earth came to be, aside from the Big Bang Theory. The story itself may not be scientific, but it teaches people about how to treat the Earth. Speaking of Skywoman, Kimmerer states that, “The plants can tell us her story; we need to listen,” (10). We do not treat the Earth as a gift, and one day the Earth will no longer have gifts for us if we do not reciprocate the love.

This book will change the way that you view nature. As Elizabeth Wilkinson of the StarTribune explains, “The gift of Kimmerer's book is that she provides readers the ability to see a very common world in uncommon ways, or, rather, in ways that have been commonly held but have recently been largely discarded. She puts forth the notion that we ought to be interacting in such a way that the land should be thankful for the people.” This lesson alone is the reason that every single person should read this book.

Works cited: Wilkinson, Elizabeth. REVIEW: ‘Braiding Sweetgrass,’ by Robin Wall Kimmerer. StarTribune.  31, October 2013.

http://www.startribune.com/review-braiding-sweetgrass-by-robin-wall-kimmerer/230117911/