On April 3, Books on Tap met to discuss Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Kimmerer, an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, is the director of the Center for Native People and the Environment and distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Originally published in 2013, Braiding Sweetgrass remains popular today. It first appeared on the bestseller list in 2020 and is one of the most borrowed library books. Kimmerer combines scientific and indigenous approaches to the natural world. Readers found that it was an especially appropriate book for Spring. One person pointed out that if you are a gardener or a farmer, there is so much information that makes you think about how you garden or farm. Another reader highly recommended the audiobook, which is read by the author.

Participants discussed why the book has stayed so popular. Over time many organizations have been adopting her Honorable Harvest approach. The idea of taking only what you need and using what you take resonated with readers. Many people and groups are also adopting her way of talking about the natural world as kin. Kimmerer brought home that these are our relations, our relatives. These ideas have started to take hold contributing to the book’s ongoing popularity. 

The book is a collection of essays, yet readers felt it was cohesive. One commented that it was very lyrical and poetic. Some found it felt almost like a conversation. The essay format gave space for readers to stop and think about each one before moving on. Another reader said they had not finished, but refused to rush it, wanting the time to reflect because the book really spoke to their connection with the natural world and its influence on their mental health.

A major theme of the book is reciprocity and giving and caring. One reader really liked the way Kimmerer wove her daughters into the book. At times there was a parallel between Kimmerer caring for them and nature as a caring mother providing for all of us. When her daughters came home, she dug wild leeks to share with them, sending them back into the world with a literal piece of the woods. The book also emphasizes gratitude, creating a juxtaposition between consumption vs. giving. Some got a sense that some of the book’s popularity is because it encourages slowing down to actually experience gratitude. Gratitude can be a counter to life’s stress. The idea that you thank the plant for the gift but also act in ways that help preserve the natural world also stood out. One reader was struck by the quote, “Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.” (p. 178)

Many details in the book stood out to the readers, leading to lively conversation. One person enjoyed the story comparing starting the school day with the Pledge of Allegiance with offering a thanksgiving to the morning. The thanksgiving was spoken by the children, and varied by the person offering thanks and while long, was beautiful and never the same. This reminded another reader of a moment when Kimmerer has taken students to live in the woods and on the last day, it is one of the students who is up first, standing in the East entrance to the shelter greeting the morning with thanksgiving. Another person noted that they have been looking at trees differently after reading this book. Others enjoyed learning how corn silk feeds the individual corn kernels and that beans have belly buttons. There were so many details that spoke to readers!

The book also prompted sharing of personal experiences with nature from talking to their plants and trees in the neighborhood to sharing the locations of parks and trails where one can see a heron’s nest or bald eagles. The shared experience of reading and discussing the book led to an enthusiastic sharing of experiences of the wonder of the natural world. In the end, several people commented that this was a book that will live with them for a long time, if not for the rest of their life.