‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ Named 2022 Centre County Reads Selection

Centre County Reads has chosen “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer as its 2022 community read.

“Braiding Sweetgrass” highlights Kimmerer’s experiences as both a trained botanist and as a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, embracing the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices. 

In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgement and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world.

“Particularly at this moment in time, we thought Kimmerer’s themes of environmental sustainability through the lens of Native American tradition and heritage would be both interesting to explore and poignant for Centre County readers to experience together,” said Maria Burchill, Schlow Centre Region Library’s head of adult services and a member of the Centre County Reads committee.

“Braiding Sweetgrass” has been a New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times bestseller; named a “Best Essay Collection of the Decade” by Literary Hub; and named a Book Riot “Favorite Summer Read of 2020​.”

Centre County Reads launches its 2022 program in January. Copies of Braiding Sweetgrass are available to check out or reserve in print and digitally at Centre County Library, Bellefonte; Centre Hall Area Branch Library; Holt Memorial Library, Philipsburg; and Schlow Library. 

This year’s events feature both in-person and virtual options culminating in a March 2 online visit with Kimmerer as part of the Penn State Department of Landscape Architecture’s Bracken Lecture Series.

Other CCR 2022 Highlights:

• Jan. 22: Native Americans of Central Pennsylvania with Bruce Teeple

Centre County Libraries & Historical Museum Zoom Room

• Feb. 9: “Carlisle in Reverse”–Returning to a Sustainable Future (Roundtable)

Penn State Zoom Room

Featured panelists: Craig Santos Perez, associate professor of English, University of Hawaii at Mona; Abby Goode, assistant professor of English, Plymouth State University (NH); Erik B. Foley, director of the Center for the Business of Sustainability and instructor in Management and Organization, Smeal College of Business, Penn State; Joe Glinbizzi, graduate student in English and Visual Studies Penn State (moderator).

Details about the annual writing contest, book discussions, storytimes, companion reads and more, plus advance registration info, can be found at centrecountyreads.org.

Centre County Reads started in 2003 with “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The project encourages county residents of all ages to explore the human condition and community issues by reading and discussing the same book. Past selections include “A Walk in the Woods,” “The Book Thief,” “Beautiful Ruins,” “Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird” by Penn State alumna Katie Fallon, “Charming Billy,” and last year’s choice, “The Address Book.”

Coordinators for Centre County Reads 2022 include the Penn State Center for American Literary Studies, the Center for Global Studies at Penn State, Centre County Library & Historical Museum, Pennsylvania Center for the Book, Schlow Centre Region Library, and the State College Area School District.