Braiding Sweetgrass

by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Braiding Sweetgrass cover
Good Books rating 4.56
Nonfiction
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Paperback • £12.99
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Technical
  • ID: 4485
  • Added: 2025-10-21
  • Updated: 2026-01-05
  • ISBN: 9781571318718
  • Publisher: Milkweed Editions
  • Published: 2013-09-16
  • Formats: 1
  • Reviews: 4

In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer weaves together her expertise as a botanist and her cultural heritage as a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She explores the gifts and lessons offered by plants and animals, arguing that ecological consciousness requires acknowledging and celebrating our interconnectedness with the living world. Kimmerer's reflections range from the creation of Turtle Island to contemporary threats, emphasizing the need to understand and reciprocate the earth's generosity. /n/n Drawing on her personal experiences and scientific insights, Kimmerer presents a unique perspective that bridges the gap between indigenous knowledge and modern science. Her narrative is both mythic and scientific, sacred and historical, offering a profound exploration of our relationship with nature. Through her stories and teachings, she invites readers to listen to the voices of other beings and to give their own gifts in return.

Reviews
Shelburne Farms · 2025-10-21
great 4.50

The narrative is approachable, potent, and funny, with the author being a great storyteller. It is recommended for anyone who enjoys a good story.

The reviewer highlights that the book's narrative is engaging and accessible, making complex topics approachable. They praise the author's storytelling skills, noting that the book is both potent and funny. The reviewer recommends it to anyone who enjoys a good story, emphasizing the author's ability to connect with readers on a personal level. The book is seen as a valuable resource for those interested in natural history, ecological science, and indigenous wisdom.

Quick quotes

    I recommend Braiding Sweetgrass to anyone who enjoys a good story- Kimmerer's narrative is approachable, potent, funny, and she is simply a great storyteller.

    Kimmerer's narrative is approachable, potent, funny, and she is simply a great storyteller.

    I recommend Braiding Sweetgrass to anyone who enjoys a good story.

Steph's Story Space · 2023-11-20
great 4.50

The book is a great and surprising read, accessible to fiction readers. It is praised for its beautiful writing and engaging content.

The reviewer finds the book to be a great and surprising read, noting that it is accessible to fiction readers despite being nonfiction. They praise the author's beautiful writing and engaging content, highlighting the book's ability to connect with readers on a personal level. The reviewer appreciates the book's insights into natural history, ecological science, and indigenous wisdom, finding it to be a compelling and thought-provoking read. The book is seen as a valuable resource for those interested in understanding our relationship with the natural world.

Quick quotes

    Braiding Sweetgrass was a great and surprising read.

    It's nonfiction, but it's incredibly accessible to fiction readers, especially as Kemmerer infuses the ...

    Braiding Sweetgrass is the answer to what we've been experiencing, a guidebook to help us understand this pull to the wilder places in our world.

Resilience.org · Mary Wildfire · 2022-07-20
great 4.50

The book illuminates an alternate path and is recommended without reservation. It is seen as a guidebook to understanding our connection to nature.

The reviewer finds the book to be a valuable guidebook that helps readers understand their connection to nature. They highlight the book's ability to illuminate an alternate path, making it a recommended read without reservation. The reviewer appreciates the book's insights into natural history, ecological science, and indigenous wisdom, finding it to be a compelling and thought-provoking read. The book is seen as a valuable resource for those interested in understanding our relationship with the natural world.

Quick quotes

    Reading a book like Braiding Sweetgrass can illuminate the alternate path.

    I recommend it without reservation.

    Braiding Sweetgrass is the answer to what we've been experiencing, a guidebook to help us understand this pull to the wilder places in our world.

Curious Earth · 2021-01-14
revolutionary 4.75

The book is described as a 'hymn of love to the world' and is seen as a quietly revolutionary work that calls on readers to reconnect with nature. It is praised for its ability to blend science, history, and personal narrative.

This review describes 'Braiding Sweetgrass' as a hymn of love to the world, highlighting its revolutionary approach to reconnecting with nature. The reviewer appreciates the book's ability to blend scientific knowledge with historical and personal narratives, making it a deeply engaging read. The essays are seen as both mythic and scientific, sacred and historical, clever and wise. The reviewer finds the book to be a powerful call to action for readers to reconnect with the natural world.

Quick quotes

    A Braiding Sweetgrass review called it a 'hymn of love to the world' and indeed it is a quietly revolutionary book that calls on its readers to ...

    A journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise.

    It is praised for its ability to blend science, history, and personal narrative.

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