On our Bookshelf this Month

Zero Waste Melrose’s monthly series, What’s on our Bookshelf this Month?, highlights books on the subjects of zero waste and sustainability. Settle into a quiet, comfy corner with this one.

During Native American Heritage Month and a month in which Thanksgiving Day and Native American Heritage Day are observed, this book by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a member of the Potawatomi nation, is a personal series of stories woven together much like braiding sweetgrass, its title. Robin, indigenous by birth and scientist by training, shares ancient wisdom and botanic knowledge in a sweet and powerful way. The ancient indigenous concepts of giving thanks to Mother Earth for her gifts, the reciprocity between nature and man, and the imperative to find a more sustainable way forward are timely. The audio version is read by the author, which is particularly enjoyable.         

Braiding sweetgrass : indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants melrose.noblenet.org