The Serviceberry

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass,a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitudereciprocityand communitybased on the lessons of the natural world. As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birdsshe considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. Howshe askscan we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcitycompetitionand the hoarding of resourcesand we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhilethe serviceberryΓÇÖs relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocityinterconnectednessand gratitude. The tree distributes its wealthΓÇöits abundance of sweetjuicy berriesΓÇöto meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explainsΓÇ£Serviceberries show us another modelone based upon reciprocitywhere wealth comes from the quality of your relationshipsnot from the illusion of self-sufficiency.ΓÇ¥ As Elizabeth Gilbert writesRobin Wall Kimmerer is ΓÇ£a great teacherand her words are a hymn of love to the world.ΓÇ¥ The Serviceberry is an antidote to the broken relationships and misguided goals of our timesand a reminder that ΓÇ£hoarding wonΓÇÖt save usall flourishing is mutual.ΓÇ¥ Robin Wall Kimmerer is donating her advance payments from this book as a reciprocal giftback to the landfor land protectionrestorationand justice.