“What would it be like to be raised on gratitude, to speak to the natural world as a member of the democracy of species, to raise a pledge of interdependence? No declarations of political loyalty are required, just a response to a repeated question: ‘Can we agree to be grateful for all that is given?’”

I don’t know how else to talk about this book other than that it is absolutely life changing. World altering. I have never been asked to pay attention, true attention, to the world around me like this book asks you to. Robin Wall Kimmerer is an absolutely gorgeous writer—her prose is melodic and intricate, like the natural phenomenons she’s writing about. I needed a pen in hand to underline, star, bracket sections all over this text because every sentence was so carefully crafted and constructed. I really believe that this book has fundamentally shifted how I view, exist, and interact in the world for the better. I’m so grateful to have read this, and it was such an amazing way to start off 2022.