Kelly Kaur recommends Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
I first heard about Braiding Sweetgrass (Milkweed Editions, 2013) three years ago when I walked into a bookstore in Invermere. I asked the bookstore owner a difficult question: “Which book do you recommend?” The owner picked up a copy of Braiding Sweetgrass and told me that this book, although published in 2013, has constantly been on bestsellers’ list and a reader’s choice all these years. I was intrigued. The preface describes this book as “an intertwining of science, spirit, and story.” Robin Wall Kimmerer builds upon her background and experience as a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, a professor, and as a botanist to share her insights about the unappreciated and forgotten connections between humans and nature. Her stories are vivid, evocative, and they highlight important connections to Indigenous myth in the most delightful way. She describes her grandfather as a ten-year-old boy gathering pecans. Her recollections showcase the lives of her ancestors, the importance of nuts in their diets and how even a pecan pie today has so much meaning for her. Kimmerer’s recollections about being “raised by strawberries” are powerfully evocative. She connects this strawberry experience with the unexpected impression of “generosity” and how in the Creation story of Skywoman, a strawberry is a “heart berry”: simply beautiful. Each page and chapter unfold more stories and links to science and the ancient knowledge of Indigenous people. Be ready to be mesmerized.
June 2024 Creative Corner prompt response, published with the author's permission. Copyright © 2024 review by Kelly Kaur. Sign up for our newsletter for a chance to be featured on our blog, Pensieri.
Kelly grew up in Singapore, came to Calgary to get her degrees at the University of Calgary, and stayed longer than she thought she would. Universities appear to be her playground; as a university educator today, she must have taught over 10,000 students and graded over 60,000 essays. To take a break from marking, she decided to write her own novel. Kelly lives in Calgary, Alberta.