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

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.

BUY THE BOOK

Published Aug 11, 2015

408 pages

Average rating: 8.3

656 RATINGS

|

Join a book club that is reading Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants!

Huxley & Hiro Literary Society

We host three books clubs at our store. Everyone is welcome!

The Green Table by STUMP Philly

Join us monthly for a relaxed gathering centered around nature and books. We will read plant-inspired fiction and non-fiction books, sip tea and chat!

Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Braiding Sweetgrass* offers a profound blend of science, spirituality, and indigenous wisdom, inspiring a transformative view of our rela...

Sue Dix
Mar 14, 2026
10/10 stars
I love this book! It is science and spirituality and a profoundly different way of thinking about the future of Mother Earth. Robin Wall Kimmerer, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, has given us a gift. We need to choose the green path. We need the eighth and final fire of peace and brotherhood. Read this book. It will change your life.
JJM
Sep 28, 2025
9/10 stars
Host: Kim Koldykowski
BenRowswell
May 25, 2023
10/10 stars
Botany changed my worldview
necola0701
Feb 13, 2026
Discussion 8/18/25
LucyCarrillo
Feb 02, 2026
9/10 stars
Gentle wisdom, told throuhj the author’s endeavors to learn the native language, explaining how some plants have a symbiotic relationship with the humans that harvest it, and therefore thrive, to her teaching college students going through the swamp. That last part was my favorite. I have had this on my list forever, finally got to it as an audiobook. So glad I did. I think the fact that I’m learning to do a slow read on another book, is helping me to tackle other longer books that require made to slow down and absorb rather than speed through to get the plot. 

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.