Fall Book Discussion Group Pick
I’m excited to announce our next book discussion group pick, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I’m almost embarrassed to share how long this book has been on my TBR list, countless friends and colleagues have recommended this book to me time and again. While not written from a Christian perspective, what I’ve heard from others is that Kimmerer’s writing is deeply spiritual and offers a theology of creation we would do well to listen to. You can read a full description of the book below.
I hope you will join me in picking up a copy and then gathering for discussion and reflection on Tuesday, 11/7 at 7:00 pm at the Twin Arch Tavern.
As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers.
In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowing together to reveal what it means to see humans as “the younger brothers of creation”. As she explores these themes, she circles toward a central argument: The awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgement and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the world. Once we begin to listen for the languages of other beings, we can begin to understand the innumerable life-giving gifts the world provides us and learn to offer our thanks, our care, and our own gifts in return.
Kristin+
