Helpful Score: 1
Spring, with nature's rebirth, is the perfect time to read The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson. This novel is profoundly meaningful to its author so I hope my comments do it justice.
Per the author, this beautiful cover is an image from custom beadwork specifically commissioned from a Native artist for the novel.
Born from Ms. Wilson's passion for gardens, her Native American heritage, and research conducted for her two nonfiction books, The Seed Keeper explores humanity's relationship with seeds - do we care for them as a family member or as a commodity?
The story is told by Rosalie Iron Wing and three additional Dakhota women from time periods ranging from 1862 to 2002. All have experienced trauma that impacts them and subsequent generations. This novel is beautifully written but heartbreaking and includes subjects such as Native children being removed from their families to attend residential schools and the commercialization of growing crops from genetically engineered and chemically treated seed stock. There are moments of humor to break the sadness; my favorite was Rosalie planting her first garden.
I listened to the audiobook which was wonderfully narrated by Kyla Garcia. With its Midwestern setting (Minnesota) and my being a farmer's daughter, I was surprised by how connected I felt to The Seed Keeper because I'm definitely not a gardener. This novel has motivated me to soon read Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Thank you to the Council Bluffs Public Library for bringing the author to our area; I'm grateful for the opportunity to hear her personally talk about its creation story.
Per the author, this beautiful cover is an image from custom beadwork specifically commissioned from a Native artist for the novel.
Born from Ms. Wilson's passion for gardens, her Native American heritage, and research conducted for her two nonfiction books, The Seed Keeper explores humanity's relationship with seeds - do we care for them as a family member or as a commodity?
The story is told by Rosalie Iron Wing and three additional Dakhota women from time periods ranging from 1862 to 2002. All have experienced trauma that impacts them and subsequent generations. This novel is beautifully written but heartbreaking and includes subjects such as Native children being removed from their families to attend residential schools and the commercialization of growing crops from genetically engineered and chemically treated seed stock. There are moments of humor to break the sadness; my favorite was Rosalie planting her first garden.
I listened to the audiobook which was wonderfully narrated by Kyla Garcia. With its Midwestern setting (Minnesota) and my being a farmer's daughter, I was surprised by how connected I felt to The Seed Keeper because I'm definitely not a gardener. This novel has motivated me to soon read Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Thank you to the Council Bluffs Public Library for bringing the author to our area; I'm grateful for the opportunity to hear her personally talk about its creation story.
