"Something essential happens in a vegetable garden. It's a place where if you can't say 'I love you' out loud, you can say it in seeds. And the land will reciprocate, in beans."

"We are showered every day with gifts, but they are not meant for us to keep. Their life is in their movement, the inhale and the exhale of our shared breath. Our work and our joy is to pass along the gift and to trust that what we put out into the universe will always come back."

"And so I plant Daffodils, hundreds of them, in sunny flocks beneath the Maples, in homage to their beauty and in reciprocity for their gift."

This is a beautiful, stunning, spiritual, and deeply-moving book. There is so much that I could quote from it, but I want to also share my thoughts. This book is poetry, knowledge, stories, legends, and a call to action all in one.

Basically, everyone needs to read this book. There are very few books that I would say that about, but I think this is essential reading for all humanity. It is no exaggeration to say that it changed my worldview. I have always loved nature, but I have never before considered my relationship with nature through the lens of reciprocity. Giving agency to plants and animals completed shifted how I see the world. I feel enriched and made whole through this book. Dr. Kimmerer's prose is beautiful, weaving her way through her own life experiences, Indigenous knowledge, and scientific beliefs. It is truly a stunning work of art. I cannot wait to read this over again; it is the type of book that I know will give me new knowledge each time I pick it up.

Please, please, please read this!!!