The Serviceberry

By: Robin Wall Kimmerer

Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world.

As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution insures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”

As Elizabeth Gilbert writes, Robin Wall Kimmerer is “a great teacher, and her words are a hymn of love to the world.” The Serviceberry is an antidote to the broken relationships and misguided goals of our times, and a reminder that “hoarding won’t save us, all flourishing is mutual.”

©2024 Robin Wall Kimmerer (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Gentle, gracious book

Every book by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a gift of information and hope. Such a delight!

Very good contrast between service economy and market economy

Absolutely essential is remembering gift economy works on a SMALL scale. But I like the ideals very much. I think some of the analogies to the natural world were a bit of a stretch, but I see the point. The only thing I disliked was the use of a given name as a put-down. I never liked calling people Brandon or Karen and find using Daryl just as childishly offensive. It also seems contrary to the generous spirit of gift economy. Like the author, I see all kinds of gift and exchange economies around these days, and they are genius ways of reusing things that would otherwise end up in landlords. It reminds me when I was a kid and neighbors would trade clothes and furniture when their own kids grew out of them. I also HATED getting hand-me-downs, but more I wear used clothing with pride.

Gift economy

I enjoyed the authors emotion and passion behind her work. I want to be apart of the gift economy

A great story with an important message.

I loved learning about the serviceberry and a gratitude economy. This is a quick read filled with wisdom that is timeless.

Delightful book - back to nature and essence of life

This book offers a delicate link between the the modern and thoughtless abuse of nature, and the indigenous respectful view on the natural world - the way we ALL should treat it, for it is our survival on this planet that is at stake if we keep disregarding nature.
Delightfully spoken from the heart, full of vibrant emotion, letting me FEEL I am there with the birds and the trees and LIFE. It pulled me right back to my Sundance visit in Canada with the Cree people who tought me so incredibly much. Thank you Robin for this beautiful book and valuable insights. Yvonne

simple and profound

I didn't realize just how hopeless I have felt about the economy, the world,and my place in it, until I witnessed myself crying every 15 minutes during this audiobook. a must read for everyone. All thriving is mutual.

A gift

Great information and concepts in this book like a gift economy! What a gift this book.

Gift economy

Hope we create more of a gift economy. Encourage others to read and understand gift economics.

Soul connecting

her words dig deep into your soul and the way she reads it really helped you connect to her words. I can not recommend this book enough!

The perfect author

Every word is delicious, insightful, inspiring and validating. This book only has one critic.. it’s too short!! This piece is a call to action, to activation to listen to our better Angels and to listen to the Earth.