An infrequent book recommendation (or two)

 

"Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants"

A friend recommended this and I knew I wanted to read it. She had checked it out of the library, and when I put it on hold, I asked for the audio version. They usually come in faster than the print ones. Fortunately it only took a couple of months, and I loved listening to the author, Kimmerer read her own creation.

But before I was halfway through, I knew I wanted to read it again, and ordered my own hardback copy. My friend was buying it also, so she could underline passages!

I don't have good details to give of my appreciation of it. I defer to another blogger, educator, Janelle Bailey, who reviewed this book on Tues. June 1. Here's the link to her review, but since I know some folks don't like to click links (I always wonder why) I want to quote a paragraph or 2 of Janelle's review.

Incidentally, this review is on Wendy Welch's blog, author and educator herself, "Wendy Welch: Books, Yarn, Cats, Opioids."

"This is a long, dense, thoughtful book…quiet and poetically beautiful in its stories and the tellings of them, and Kimmerer’s heart and mind are working on restoring the people’s relationship with the land and its non-people, and she has just a beautiful way with the words and urging she does with readers to see what is wrong–even, perhaps, with their individual practices–in hopes of reconnecting the masses to a reciprocal relationship with not just sweetgrass but allllllllllll that sweetgrass represents here, that which grows naturally and in a system that worked…before humans got involved and manipulated it and/or dismissed that the relationship was supposed to be mutual, not just one of exploitation and/or destruction.

"All that Kimmerer presents here about returning to a peace of restored relationship with nature, and its avenue being along the lines of the indigenous and native people is heartwork as well as mindwork and physical labor and making changes to how we do some things, and I value all that she says and how rationally she presents it. I will very happily plant the Three Sisters myself this spring…and have already made a batch of Indian pudding for dessert one evening last week. Kimmerer has touched me in all sorts of rich, thoughtful ways. And I am grateful for her and her sharing of all of this wisdom here.

I had postponed my own review and recommendation, because there really was so much that touched me while I listened to "Braiding Sweetgrass."  Living in an apartment and my physical limitations keep me from doing a lot on this land I have chosen as my environment. I still enjoy it, and take walks a lot, and also take photos to share on my blog, and talk about the plants and trees and rivers. I have accepted my limitations, and that my main contribution to environmental heart work must be in sharing photos and words. 

I also was finally ready to invest more in books, and bought another one which I haven't even opened yet, but have heard the author speak in on-line presentations, and lectures to classes in England. It's name is "Scatterlings: Getting Claimed in the Age of Amnesia" by Dr. Martin Shaw. He promotes (I think this describes the tip of his philosophy) going closer to the land we live upon, and becoming more aware and attentive, and even looking into myths and stories to see the environment more richly, and perhaps writing our own stories.

Thank you for wading through all of these thoughts. I'm very honored to read about the lives of authors on their blogs.