Book Review: The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

A Gift of Hope

​By Angela Petty, FAN Sustainability Committee

Looking for some hope, a small delight to hold? Try Robin Wall Kimmerer’s latest essay: “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.” Turn the book over and pause with the poignant verse: “All Flourishing Is Mutual.” Then open. A bird nibbles berries. A deer forages. Rain falls on serviceberry leaves. Kimmerer introduces us to her human neighbors as well. Sandy puts out a front yard table with flowers and produce to share. Farmers Paulie and Ed invite neighbors to pick their serviceberries for free and in doing so invite relationships with community and land. These are stories of economy, the gift economy, explains Kimmerer, and we find examples in the natural world: “the Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity rather than accumulation, where wealth and security come from the quality of our relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.” While our current economic system is heavy and harmful, Kimmerer offers an adjacent healing path forward. She invites us to participate in the gift economy, to be agents of creative cultural change and citizens of an ecosystem. Close the book, but keep the gift. And then give something in return. 
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Announcing the Hopeful Futures book club! Hosted with help from the Friendly Sustainability Committee, this group will focus on books featuring a positive, hopeful future including climate fiction and non-fiction with themes of restoration and resilience, climate justice, community building, and sustainable living. We hope you’ll join us as we find joy in creating positive change at the small or large scale! Join us Thursday May 1, 6:30 pm to discuss Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. RSVP to [email protected].​