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.

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Published Aug 11, 2015

408 pages

Average rating: 8.29

637 RATINGS

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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Braiding Sweetgrass* offers gentle, wise storytelling that blends indigenous knowledge with scientific insight, highlighting reciprocity ...

JJM
Sep 28, 2025
9/10 stars
Host: Kim Koldykowski
BenRowswell
May 25, 2023
10/10 stars
Botany changed my worldview
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. 
Gias_BookHaven
Dec 30, 2025
I only got to 14 percent if the book. I did enjoy what I read but have lost motivation and recovering from a fall. I have other books to finish and dont want tl hold up the book. I plan tl pick it back up in the future.
Gretchy81
Dec 02, 2025
6/10 stars
Very long with small print. Important teachings of honoring our land and only taking what we need. A little redundant and tedious at times with teachings.Read for work book club.

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