The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Discover an inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity and community, based on the lessons of the natural world.
The Sustainability Book Club met on January 2 to discuss The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This is a sweet little book with a big message about the ways gift economies can nurture community bonds and help us all flourish.
From the publisher: As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution ensures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”
Pick up a copy of The Serviceberry to read more about her vision and then pass it along to a friend to share the abundance.
The Sustainability Book Club
Join a small group of avid readers who meet monthly to engage in lively discussions focused on books about sustainability. The club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month on Zoom. Contact us to join!
February 6: Ruin Their Crops on the Ground by Andrea Freeman
