Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ combines Potawatomi knowledge and scientific inquiry in a deep, reverent essay series. Read it with us this October.
Welcome to the SciFri Book Club page about Braiding Sweetgrass. There’s lots of ways to participate: Read the book, join our online community space, attend an upcoming event, or send a message at (646) 767-6532 or on the SciFri VoxPop app.
This October, the SciFri Book Club will delve into the meditations and scientific explorations of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants by botanist, professor, and Potawatomi citizen Robin Wall Kimmerer. Published in 2013, this book is a beautifully written collection of essays on plants and other beings, reciprocity and responsibility, and our relationship with the Earth. Kimmerer asks readers to imagine scientific thinking in a much different way than they may have experienced, so they might, like her, “stare too long at the world with science eyes [and] see an afterimage of traditional knowledge.” Braiding Sweetgrass brings together a range of topics, including botany, ecology, Indigenous science and culture, environmental conservation, sustainability, and more—and we’ll touch on these ideas throughout this Book Club season.
You can get your copy from your local bookstore or on Bookshop.org.
This Book Club season kicks off Sunday, October 1, and you can read along with us! We’ll be (loosely) following this schedule, but all our readers are welcome to join us at their own pace:
- Part 1: Planting Sweetgrass from October 1-2
- Part 2: Tending Sweetgrass from October 3-9
- Part 3: Picking Sweetgrass from October 10-16
- Part 4: Braiding Sweetgrass from October 17-23
- Part 5: Burning Sweetgrass from October 24-31
Plus, we’ll be hosting virtual and in-person events throughout the month! Keep an eye out on our website or join our Events newsletter to be the first to know.
There are so many ways to dive in and participate! You can grab a copy of the book (and support the author and SciFri), read an excerpt from Braiding Sweetgrass, join the discussion in our online Book Club community, sign up for our email newsletter, or RSVP for our upcoming Book Club events. Check out all the details below.
Grab Your Own Copy
If you’d like to purchase a physical copy, we encourage you to start local! Check out the SciFri Book Club partner bookstores and libraries—if you’re in the area, consider supporting your local bookseller or public library (plus, mention our Book Club for a percentage off your purchase at participating shops!).
If they don’t have the book in stock or you’d rather purchase online, you can support Science Friday by buying your copy on our Bookshop.org page.
Save The Date: SciFri Book Club Events
Science, Gratitude and Responsibility with Robin Wall Kimmerer
Join the #SciFriBookClub, currently reading Braiding Sweetgrass, for an exclusive interview with author Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Throughout the essays of Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer describes the beauty, interconnectedness, and knowledge of the natural world—and our place within it. Meet us for this lunchtime conversation on Indigenous science and knowledge, botany and responsibility, and plants as teachers.
SciFri Book Club October community meeting: Braiding Sweetgrass
Want to meet other SciFri Book Club members, talk about the book selection, and find more resources for deeper learning—all without leaving your home? Our community meeting is the place for you!
This discussion meeting will focus on themes and topics featured in Braiding Sweetgrass. You’re welcome to join us no matter your reading progress—come chat with other science-interested folks about botany, ecology, Indigenous science and culture, environmental conservation, sustainability, and more!
Join Our Community Space
And as you start reading, join us on our online community space: the Science Friday Book Club is now on Mighty Networks, a platform where we can gather, read and discuss science books together. We’ve built this community space because you told us you wanted a better way to be connected with other SciFri Book Clubbers, and we hope you’ll join us there!
Read An Excerpt
Not sure this is the book for you? Want to read an excerpt before you commit? We’ve got you covered.
Milkweed Editions, the publisher of Braiding Sweetgrass, has offered SciFri Book Clubbers an excerpt of the book! You can read this sample on our website.