What I Am Reading, March 2021
I always have multiple books going at once. Here are some of my favorite current or most recent reads, enjoy.
Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have To Do is Ask, combines information about Native American philosophy (especially relating to the natural world), and folklore, all while being a great study of the northern lakes area plants. Geniusz writes not only about healing techniques with herbs but survival. For example that birch bark is a great fire starter, even when wet and that Native American hunting parties would always carry some with them. I love hearing interesting stories and uses for plants to grow right where I live!
A Pebble For Your Pocket. I was looking for books about Buddhism for my children’s World Religions class and came across this book. I previewed the book before giving it to my children and was shocked how much it resonated with me. This past year has brought a lot of questions about my spirituality and the path forward. This book is a great introduction to the concepts of mindfulness and acceptance of what is. When I shared it with my older daughter (14-years-old) she was so thrilled with it she urged her younger sisters to read it and said it was “life changing for her.”
The Art of Living is similar to A Pebble for Your Pocket, but written for adults. It still has plenty of stories and short, easy to read chapters but some higher level concepts. I believe that the book is a compilation of some of his last talks before he was hospitalized and his students wrote them down. It is like a distilled version of a genius mind.
Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi was another book that I shared with my children. I had planned to read Stamped From the Beginning but when I saw the young adult version I thought it would be a good opportunity to read and discuss. My children are bi-racial and I know that they will likely have a different relationship with the world then I do as a white woman. This book only focuses on the African American experience but is a great introduction to the concept of anti-racism. In the future I would love to see similar books written about the Asian American experience to share with my children. Maybe one of them will write one.
