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Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. She brings these frameworks of understanding together in original ways, taking "us on a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise" (Elizabeth Gilbert).
Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings―asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass―offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (3/26/2026)
...e you can enjoy some walks soon, Kim! The audiobook that really sealed the beauty of outdoor walking and nature (while listening to an audiobook) was Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (the author narrates the audiobook). I just started Seven Sisters: Captives and Rebels in Revolutionary Europe's First Family by Veronica Buckley. My...
-Diane_Jones
Name three nonfiction books you absolutely loved and would recommend
Oh…there are so many as non-fiction is a favorite genre. Since a few of my favs have been mentioned, I won't repeat them. Madame Fourcade's Secret War (Lynne Olson) Eat the Buddha - Life and Death in A Tibetan Town (Barbara Demick) The Six: The Untold Story of the First Women in Space (Loren Grus...
-Gabi_J
Overall, what did you think of Wandering Stars? (no spoilers, please!)
...d admire her a lot. I think she does tend a bit toward the monolithic when speaking of how Native people think. Another example that comes to mind is Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, in which she seems to be making the case that Indigenous wisdom can save us from the depredations of climate change. While I share her respect for t...
-Reid_B
What book or books are you reading this week? (01/09/2025)
...esting. The English Girl by Daniel Silva, Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger, and The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl. Listened to an audio of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and was enthralled throughout. Worth a second listening for sure. Up next The Bluest Eye and 48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister by Joyce Ca...
-Linda_O_donnell
"A mesmerizing storyteller." - Publishers Weekly
"Beautifully written…. Anyone who enjoys reading about natural history, botany, protecting nature, or Native American culture will love this book." - Library Journal
"Her book of wisdom, knowledge and teachings celebrates life that is both ordinary...and magical." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Robin Wall Kimmerer is writer of rare grace." - Elizabeth Gilbert, author of The Signature of All Things
"An extraordinary book." - Jane Goodall
"A great writing and beautiful work."- Oren Lyons, Onodaga Nation Faithkeeper
This information about Braiding Sweetgrass was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, a scientist, a decorated professor, and an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Her first book, Gathering Moss was awarded the 2005 John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing. Her writings have appeared in Orion, Whole Terrain, and Stone Canoe amongst many others. She lives in Fabius, NY where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and where she is also the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.
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