Brianna O’Donoghue

Professor Santos

English 102

February 13, 2018

Braiding Sweetgrass Book Evaluation

            In Braiding Sweetgrass, the author of this book is Robin Wall Kimmerer. Kimmerer is a botanist, a professor at Syracuse University, and is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Throughout this book Kimmerer shares her views and opinions about the environment. She talks about what is going on, what should be done, and what can be done to help nature and the environment. She shares with us some of what goes on in her classroom while teaching at the university and what her students think of the environment. She also incorporates her teachings from the Potawatomi Nation throughout the book. She shares with us many creation stories, many stories from her childhood, and what it is like to be part of the Potawatomi Nation.

            Throughout each chapter in this book they all have a different story and message. To start this book off Kimmerer talked about “Skywomen”. She explains that Skywomen came down to land from the sky and put dirt on the back of a turtle which eventually grew into what we have now, the Earth. It is creation stories like this that Kimmerer shares with us that she learned from the Potawatomi’s. From all the stories she tells, from her experiences, and teachings, she helps us understand what went on, and what is going on in the environment. I would recommend this book anyone that has any opinion about nature. This book was very interesting learning about creation stories, Kimmerer’s thoughts, and lessons. From reading this book it had really opened my eyes as to what we have in the world. I never really cared about nature until reading this book and realized that we should not take it for granted, because one day we might not have something that is out there now.