In The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, beloved author Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass) gleans encouraging life lessons from the humble serviceberry tree: embrace "the gift economy" and give as generously as the tree shares its fruits. Known by more than seven names, the serviceberry is beloved in indigenous cultures for its benefits of beauty and sustenance for humans and other creatures. Confronting the dire effects of human overconsumption, Kimmerer nevertheless offers hope that people might live harmoniously with the Earth.
Kimmerer has crafted an inspiring guide to fostering generosity through following examples from Native as well as natural practices. Kimmerer relies on "our oldest teachers, the plants," to impart the rules of a gift economy, including "take only what you need" and "ask permission before taking." In this brief primer, illustrated with delicate, detailed sketches by internationally renowned artist John Burgoyne, Kimmerer suggests that "wealth means having enough to share." In spite of her grim accounts of diminishing resources, Kimmerer gently and contemplatively describes birds with bellies full of serviceberries and cultures based on generosity, stirring readers to embrace a sense of "enoughness." --Cheryl McKeon, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, N.Y.