09/23/2024

“All flourishing is mutual,” according to this rousing treatise on the benefits of communal values. Potawatomi environmentalist Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass) explains that the Potawatomi root word for “berry” (min) is also the root word for “gift,” illustrating how in the tribe’s “culture of gratitude,” natural resources are seen as offerings that carry with them “responsibilities of sharing, respect, reciprocity.” Such principles are needed to counter the concentration of resources in the hands of the few, she contends, calling for “gift economies” in which “the practice for dealing with abundance is to give it away.” By way of example, she discusses how Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest mark life milestones with celebratory potlatches at which individuals “enhance their prestige and affirm connections with a web of relations” by giving away possessions. Kimmerer is clear-eyed about the challenges of transitioning to a gift economy, acknowledging that it’s susceptible to bad actors and will require a drastic change in mindset. However, she observes that modern examples of successful gift economies abound, from public libraries to open-source software and Wikipedia. Kimmerer doesn’t attempt to outline a practical plan for vanquishing self-centeredness borne of capitalism, but she nonetheless succeeds in bringing attention to the fact that alternatives are possible. It’s an eloquent call to action. Illus. Agent: Sarah Levitt, Aevitas Creative Management. (Nov.)

Named a Best Book of the Fall by New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, Time, Lithub, BookPage, and Publishers Weekly

“The Serviceberry is a profoundly important book about how we might remodel consumer economies around mutuality, generosity, and bountifulness. The time you’ll spend reading this book will, like the time spent picking wild berries, nourish your soul, heart, and mind. I hope to give this book to everybody.” —Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See and Cloud Cuckoo Land

“The Serviceberry is a gem of a book. it invites us to think again about economics, and imagine another way of relating to one another based on generosity, kindness, interconnectedness, and restraint. The book reminds us that how we think, and the stories we tell, shape how we live – and it’s high time we thought and lived differently, with new stories, about our place in nature.” —James Rebanks

“A moving meditation on what a giving tree can teach us about building a fairer society... A compelling argument for a more ethical economy.” —TIME

“Robin Wall Kimmerer, celebrated author of Braiding Sweetgrass, gifts her readers once again with this gorgeous meditation on reciprocity and abundance in nature. . . Beautifully illustrated, brimming and buzzing with plant and animal life, The Serviceberry is a lyrical call to action.” —Oprah Daily

“A delightful new book that reflects on the natural world and how we can derive lessons on gratitude, reciprocity and community to flourish mutually.” —Seattle Times

“Kimmerer’s deeply rooted, wise, and inspiring reflections coalesce into a fresh approach to connecting ecology, economics, and ethics... [Readers] will learn a lot about ecological ways of living from Kimmerer's nature-rooted wisdom and beautifully clear writing.” —Booklist, starred review

“An eloquent call to action.” —Publishers Weekly

“Kimmerer, drawing from her Potawatomi heritage, uses the abundant serviceberry to demonstrate the gifts that the natural world provides. This portrait is startling in its simplicity, resulting in a masterful reflection on ecology and culture. The book seamlessly blends science, inherited wisdom, and philosophy . . . [Kimmerer’s] beautiful and hopeful prose leaves readers feeling sated, galvanized, and keenly aware of the world around them. A welcome meditation on living in harmony with the earth and fostering deeper connections with one another.” —Kirkus




Praise for Robin Wall Kimmerer and Braiding Sweetgrass

“I give daily thanks for Robin Wall Kimmerer for being a font of endless knowledge, both mental and spiritual.”—Richard Powers, The New York Times

“Robin Wall Kimmerer is writer of rare grace. She writes about the natural world from a place of such abundant passion that one can never quite see the world the same way after having seen it through Kimmerer’s eyes... She is a great teacher, and her words are a hymn of love to the world.” —Elizabeth Gilbert

“Robin Wall Kimmerer has written an extraordinary book, showing how the factual, objective approach of science can be enriched by the ancient knowledge of the indigenous people. It is the way she captures beauty that I love the most—the images of giant cedars and wild strawberries, a forest in the rain and a meadow of fragrant sweetgrass will stay with you long after you read the last page.” —Jane Goodall

“Robin Wall Kimmerer opens a sense of wonder and humility for the intelligence in all kinds of life we are used to naming and imagining as inanimate.” —Krista Tippett, host of On Being