User:Tammyzhang0/sandbox

Possible edits to the Contents section:

"[A] braid of stories . . . woven from three strands: indigenous ways of knowing, scientific knowledge, and the story of an Anishinabeckwe scientist trying to bring them together in service to what matters most. It is an intertwining of science, spirit, and story—old stories and new ones that can be medicine for our broken relationship with the earth, a pharmacopoeia of healing stories that allow us to imagine a different relationship, in which people and land are good medicine for each other."

- I like how this quote elaborates on the structure of the book in relation to its title, but the quote is long, so I should break it up

- The reference to the Anishinabeckwe people is new - not sure if that merits a link to an article with more information?

"...the book is divided into five sections...beginning with a series of essays under the heading of "Planting Sweetgrass," and then moving to sections under the headings of "Tending," "Braiding," "Picking," and then "Burning Sweetgrass." In each of these sections, particular aspects of the gift giving of Sweetgrass are explored as Kimmerer recounts her encounters with a variety of plants in a variety of situations in her life as mother, botanist, tribal citizen, teacher, and scientist.

The progression of headings signals how Kimmerer's book functions not only as natural history but also as ceremony, the latter of which plays a decisive role in how Kimmerer comes to know the living world.

This leads her to a provocative question: "What if Western scientists saw plants as their teachers rather than their subjects?""

- This seems like relevant information about the book's overall structure

- I do need to figure out which parts of this quote would be redundant in the context of the article though

Add in more reviews to the review section? Not sure if this will end up being excessive

Kirkus Reviews calls Braiding Sweetgrass a "smart, subtle overlay of different systems of thought that together teach us to be better citizens of Earth."

"Braiding Sweetgrass neither falls into the categories of preachy, new-age, practical bring-your-own-grocery-bags environmental movement writing nor into the flowing optimism of pure nature writing. After each chapter, the reader is compelled to act: to become involved in local politics, clean up a nearby creek, learn a new language, and take time to appreciate the natural world in a new way. Through Native American creation stories and details of sustainable, traditional, ecological management practices of Native Americans, Kimmerer challenges the European immigrant ecological consciousness, asking us to invest and settle into America."

Current reviews section:Native Studies Review writes that Braiding Sweetgrass is a "book to savour and to read again and again."

Heather Sullivan writes in the Journal of Germanic Studies that "one occasionally encounters a text like an earthquake: it shakes one’s fundamental assumptions with a massive shift that, in comparison, renders mere epiphanies bloodless: Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass is one of these kinds of books.”

Sue O'Brian in Library Journal wrote "Kimmerer writes of investigating the natural world with her students and her efforts to protect and restore plants, animals, and land. A trained scientist who never loses sight of her Native heritage, she speaks of approaching nature with gratitude and giving back in return for what we receive. VERDICT Anyone who enjoys reading about natural history, botany, protecting nature, or Native American culture will love this book".

Kathleen D. Moore in The Bryologist says that Braiding Sweetgrass is far more than a memoir or a field guide. I would call it a wisdom book, because I believe that Robin has something world-changing to pass along, an ethos she has learned by listening closely to plants".

The Tribal College Journal wrote "Each chapter is an adventurous journey into the world of plants." Publishers Weekly call Kimmerer a "mesmerizing storyteller" in Braiding Sweetgrass.

The Star Tribune writes that Kimmerer is able to give readers the ability to see the common world in a new way.

On Feb. 9, 2020, the book first appeared at No. 14 on the New York Times Best Sellers paperback nonfiction list; at the beginning of November 2020, in its 30th week, it was at No. 9.