Review by Annie Lee
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is everything I hoped it would be and much much more. It has rocketed to my favourite top 10 EVER books!!!
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a master storyteller and weaves the most stunning braid between science & indigenous wisdom in this compelling read. It is a read to be savoured which echoes one of the themes of old & slow growth… more on that later!
Some books change the way you think, and some change the way you see the world. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer does both. This isn’t just a book about plants or ecology—it’s a book about relationships, gratitude, and learning to see the natural world as a teacher rather than just a resource.
Kimmerer is a botanist, but she’s also a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, and that combination means she is in the perfect position to take us on a journey through regeneration from different and yet intertwined perspectives.
At its heart, Braiding Sweetgrass is about reciprocity. The ‘honourable harvest’ is a core theme – taking only what we need and giving something in return. Kimmerer asks us to consider what it means to be in a relationship with the earth, rather than just seeing it as something to take from. She tells stories of Sweetgrass, Maple trees, and the “Three Sisters” (Corn, Beans, and Squash), showing how these plants live in reciprocity with each other.
The metaphors are so powerful throughout the book and that is one of the main points I have really taken away – the power of stories! Robin weaves stories into personal experiences, Indigenous teachings, and reflections on the modern world.
There is a theme of gratitude that runs throughout. Appreciating the abundance of what is freely given (the wind, the rain, the soil, the sun etc)and summed up by the Thanksgiving Address which Kimmerer offers to us slowly and deliberately. Later in the book she gives a more punchy view of gratitude that I just LOVE:
“You can’t listen to the Thanksgiving Address without feeling wealthy. And, while expressing gratitude seems innocent enough, it is a revolutionary idea. In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition. Recognising abundance rather than scarcity undermines an economy that thrives by creating unmet desires. “
I urge you to read that again and let it sink in.
Robin also writes of the importance of language – throughout the book she urges us to recognise all living beings as people and as such using capital letters when referring to them by name. Eg if I was talking about the Oak tree on my walk I would give equal thought & care for it when I view it as a person and give it’s name a capital letter. This is not part of the English language but maybe we can change that?
The book isn’t about grand, world-saving gestures, although there are some great stories of BIG projects going on around the world. It’s more about small, everyday acts of care: planting gardens, being mindful of how we source our food, learning the names of plants, and ultimately respecting the gifts nature gives us.
Braiding Sweetgrass is not a quick, punchy read. And THAT is the magic of it! It asks you to slow down, to listen, and to connect.
In a time when we need more connection, with nature and with each other, this book feels like exactly the kind of wisdom we need!
I will leave you with this… although I have a whole document filled with quotes from this book so it was difficult to choose one…
“But it is not enough to weep for our lost landscapes; we have to put our hands in the earth to make ourselves whole again. Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world is holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.”
