The Serviceberry: Abudance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

 

   What is love? Love is empathy, cooperation and care; love works for restoration and harmony; Love cares about respect, justice and sustainability; it inspires gratitude and reciprocity. It expresses itself in the gifts of Mother Earth, which are assaulted by greed. What is greed? Greed is violence, oppression, lust and corruption.

    Do your choices align with love or do they align with greed?

    I highly recommend Robin Wall Kimmerer’s latest book. If I belonged to a book club, I would offer it as a thought-provoking source of discussion and inspiration.

 

   The Gift economy

   I had never heard of “gift economies” before. It was a novelty concept. I became aware of it for the first time when I read The Serviceberry.

   The Serviceberry is an introspective invitation to belong to a gift economy, one that thrives in acts of gratitude, kindness and reciprocity.

   “Gift economies arise from an understanding of earthly abundance and the gratitude it generates.”

   “In ecological economics, the focus is on creating an economy that provides for a just and sustainable future in which both human life and nonhuman life can flourish.”

   I have to admit that my actions, aspirations and ideas align with the foundation of this little book. I read it in only two hours, and now I am returning to it to reflect on the author’s thoughts and insights, and to gain a deeper understanding of it. After reading this book, I came to the realization that I carve a balance between the demands of a market economy and the volunteering of my work as a member of the gift economy. The joys I harvest as a result of it are robust and amazing…

 

 

The gift of water

 

Market economies commodify the gifts of the Earth. An example of this is the commodification of clean water. I appreciate the way in which she describes the situation:

      “It was previously unthinkable that one would pay for a drink of water; but as careless economic expansion pollutes fresh water, we now incentivize privatization of springs and aquifers. Sweet water, a free gift of the Earth, is pirated by faceless corporations who encase it in plastic containers to sell. And now many can’t afford what was previously free, and we incentivize wrecking public waters to create demand for the privatized.  What induces people to buy bottled water from a corporation more convincingly than contaminated water flowing from the faucet?”

  The system causes several kinds of scarcity to make a profit of them. This one really made me think about the situation from a new perspective, because this is exactly what the fossil fuel corporations do and it is why they have worked so hard for decades to thwart the development of clean energies that are necessary to protect the quality of air and water and to address climate change.

 

Clean energy to address climate change

  When choices are made to reinforce and promote the production of clean energy, the quality of water and air are also protected. In contrast, keeping coal plants open and ditching rules that help to protect the quality of water and air are actions that not only make people sick, but also create a scarcity of clean water and air. These actions also affect the climate, and worsening climate change leads to food scarcity.  

 This made me think about what Donald Trump is doing: he is keeping coal plants open and loosening restrictions that protect the quality of water and air. As a result of the weakening of these restrictions, mercury, lead and other dangerous chemicals are released into the environment. These contaminants poison the air and water. I invite you to do your research and find out the effects that these contaminants have on babies and children…Knowledge is power, so empower yourself.

 

  Robin Wall Kimmerer summarizes the situation in a way that illuminates the reality of what is happening:

                                             “Climate catastrophe and biodiversity loss are the consequences of unrestrained taking by humans.”

   For some people gift economies are utopian ideals that are not realistic, but the alternative is not sustainable either, so what are we supposed to do?

  The good news is that when you open your awareness to the actions of gift economies and give them a name, you can see the sprouting buds of gift economies around you. They are not rare or strange. 

 

   Let’s share some simple hints to help the gift economy flourish in its own right…

“Never take the first one. Never take the last.”

“Take only what you need.”

“Take only that which is given.”

“Never take more than half. Leave some for others.”

“Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.”

“Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.”

“Share.”

 “Give thanks for what you have been given. Give a gift in reciprocity for what you have taken.”

  I endeavor to do so with every post I write… It is an action of gratitude for every book I read. Her messages resonate strongly with My Writing Life: Awareness, Reflection, Inspiration.

 

 

The gift of her book

   The author’s advance payments from this book about the gift economy of the natural world will be donated as a reciprocal gift, back to the land, for land protection, restoration, and justice in support of healing land and people.

   She has an important suggestion  here: Consider reciprocating the gifts of the Earth in your own way. “Whatever your currency of reciprocity—be it money, time, energy, political action, art, science, education, planting, community action, restoration, acts of care, large and small—all are needed in these urgent times.”

   The Serviceberry cites some interesting books to encourage the reader to learn more about the topics she presents. I disagree with the reviewers who said her book is “repetitive.” Nothing could be further from the truth. When one cares to pay attention to genuinely learn about what she is offering, one is better prepared to welcome the new information that is necessary to understand the topic better. Those reviewers may have poor attention spans, which can be an impediment in understanding the depth of the content.

 

  The need for incremental changes

  Gradual incremental changes are necessary to build up the foundation of the so-called gift economies. It takes patience, integrity and motivation to make it possible, but it also needs a new kind of awareness. Gratitude is essential. Actions of solidarity and cooperation are part of the gift economies. Bear in mind that these actions are often discouraged in authoritarian regimes because tyrants want to pit people against each other to weaken them, and to abuse power and oppress communities.  Tyrants and their sycophants use people’s distrust and skepticism to divide and dominate people. In other words, what Robin proposes is the antidote to greed, abuse and exploitation. It is a form of creative resistance to the abuse caused by greed. It requires an open mind and a genuine motivation to improve the current situation.

 

If you enjoyed this post, you can check my writing on the following books:

 

The Permaculture Transition Manual

 

How can I help? Saving Nature with your Yard

 

The book of Hope

 

Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer

 

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

 

What a Bee Knows

 

Birding to Change the World

 

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology and the founder of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.

 The charming Illustrations are by John Burgoyne. You can visit his site here:

 

 

 

Happy World Bee Day!

 

Honor the bees today and everyday by avoiding the use of herbicides and pesticides. Plant native plants that have not been sprayed with harmful chemicals. Learn how to support the bees by reading the following article. Enjoy their visits to the garden. Fearing bees is an act of ignorance, so learn as much as you can about them and celebrate their presence in the garden. By supporting bees, you also help other pollinators that sustain the health of the ecosystem as well as your own health.

https://xerces.org/pesticides/risks-pesticides-pollinators

 

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

 

   Something life transforming happened to Chloe Dalton one day, when she went for a walk in the countryside in England. She came across a baby hare, a leveret. She thought the leveret’s mother was close by, so she did not disturb her. A few hours later, however, she checked on her; the baby hare was still there, lying still on the grass.

   Chloe Knew that the baby hare was at risk. Something may have happened to her mother. She may have been killed. Foxes and stoats lurked around. The leveret was a potential prey to several creatures. Chloe knew that the baby hare would not survive without her mother, so she did what any caring person would have done. She decided to rescue her.

    There was not much information out there on how to feed a leveret. She asked wildlife and conservation experts for advice. She searched for scientific literature, but even literary references were more helpful in this case. Her sister, who owned a small farm, did not know anything about hares, but she gave her powdered milk for kittens and a two-ounce bottle suitable for puppies, kittens, bunnies and hedgehogs.

   The new experience of taking care of a leveret that belonged to the wild had begun and Chloe did not feel prepared for it.

   I was a bit frustrated to read about a couple of clumsy actions toward the leveret that clearly showed that Chloe had little knowledge or intuition about the natural world. As I read the book, I could see that Chloe Dalton was a city person; her misconceptions and prejudices were evident in the ways she viewed certain situations. However, the experience of raising the hare opened her up to a deeper connection with the natural world.

 

The adventure of raising a hare

  Raising Hare shares interesting literary references and information about hares. It is about  the adventure of raising a hare from the wild. Despite the fact that Chloe Dalton refused to nourish a sense of attachment to the hare, the bond took place. It was built on trust and care. Did Chloe Dalton-the city person- learn that love happens too in the wild? Why do human beings feel a sense of superiority? I feel that her sense of superiority got in the way of understanding the hare a couple of times, but the hare was also a source of wisdom, and Chloe learned to appreciate that.

  “She has taught me patience. And as someone who has made their living through words, she has made me consider the dignity and persuasiveness of silence. She showed me a different life, and the richness of it.”

  I enjoyed learning about how the hare transformed Chloe Dalton’s life. The hare changed Chloe's habits and some of her behaviors. The hare awakened a kind of awareness that led her to live her life differently, in a more meaningful, mindful way, a kind of simplicity that she had lacked before she met the hare.

   “For months, I had risen at dawn to make bottles of milk or lay out food for the leveret. I had tiptoed around my house in the daytime so that it could sleep, and changed my own sleeping patterns, going to bed with nightfall. I had imposed on family and visitors the requirement to talk quietly and not frighten the young hare. I had avoided switching on lights at dusk, so as not to interfere with the leveret’s rhythms, and I had stopped using them in the garden, conscious for the first time of their disruptive effect on the vision of nocturnal animals. I had not worn perfume for months, imagining it to be caustic and disorienting to a hare’s sensitive nose, and no longer turned on the television for the evening news, to avoid subjecting the leveret to loud and discordant noises.”

 

             Freedom, love, risks

   At some point the leveret grew and became a hare who searched for her freedom beyond the walls of Chloe Dalton’s garden. Freedom comes with a whole set of new risks, but the love and care of a mother are never forgotten. They are treated with respect and trust. The hare left… but she also returned to her “human mother”.  The hare without a name came back home and shared her joy with her human mother… I will not add more. Read it and let the wondrous experience touch your heart and open up your senses to the sweetness of empathy.

    It is sad that Chloe Dalton did not name the hare. The hare deserved a name, just like anybody else does, but Chloe was stuck in her own prejudices. Oh, well. Mothers do not have to be perfect to be good mothers after all. Dear Chole Dalton: Being wild does not mean not having an identity. The hare has one too.

  The book contains delightful drawings of hares. You will fall in love with them. I can’t get enough of these drawings.

 I don’t have hares in my backyard, but I love watching the behaviors of the rabbits. Every moment is an opportunity to feel thankful in the garden.

 If you enjoyed this post, make sure you read my posts on the following books:

 Rewilding Our Hearts: Building Paths of Compassion and Coexistence by Marc Bekoff

The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology and the Ancient Rhythms that Sustain Life by Johan Eklof

Addendum: if you find an animal in the wild that needs help, be mindful of their needs and do your best to help by seeking expert advice. Wildlife rehabilitation centers can be helpful. Here's some information on what to do and what not to do:

https://www.humaneworld.org/en/resources/how-help-orphaned-or-injured-baby

Do It Like A Woman by Caroline Criado Perez

 

   Welcome back readers! After surviving one of those so-called “natural events” that are getting worse due to the massive amounts of greenhouse gases spewed into the environment, I am back here. I got sick after that, which delayed the writing of this post even more... I am thankful that I survived without any injuries, and now I need to keep my book blog active.

  If there is only one book you want to read this year, make sure you pick Caroline  Criado Perez’s book: Do It Like a Woman.

  You may not know this, but even educated people are biased against women. Both men and women are; the consequences of these biases are disastrous for humanity and the planet we inhabit. Therefore, Caroline Criado Perez’s book may be an effective vaccine to prevent this terrifying, subliminal social phenomenon.

   Even though research has debunked the myth that boys are better at math than girls, even educated people are known to spread false beliefs that have a harming impact on society as a whole. In 2005 Lawrence Summer, the then president of Harvard University, made a bizarre speech about how girls are just intrinsically worse at math than boys, and that issues of “socialization and continuing discrimination” are in fact secondary to this “variability of aptitude.”

   Stereotyping and prejudices have a serious impact on peoples’ lives. I have always been aware of the fact that gender double standards are normalized and considered acceptable. The problem is rooted in the fact that both girls and women are penalized when they do not conform to stereotypical gender behavior. In The Equality Illusion, Kat Banyard cites a 2003 study of teachers which found that the same behaviors that led boys to be indulgently labelled as “just mucking about” led girls to be called “bad influences,” “spiteful,” and “scheming little madams.”

    Research has shown that "men who asked for flexible time to enable them to carry out childcare commitments were rated as more respectable, likable, committed, and promotion-worthy than a woman who made the exact same request." 

Do it like a woman who does not behave like a sycophant… and change the world 

 Do It Like a Woman by Caroline Criado Perez is about women who try to transform systems that put women down systematically. When they cannot transform them, as it happens in some cases, they defy them. The book brings to the spotlight situations and data that are not even questioned or acknowledged. It happens across the world.

     There are no excuses to be surprised anymore. Before the election of November, 2024 in America, I remember journalists interviewing people who  clearly expressed that they would never vote for Kamala Harris for president because she was a woman. ( One cannot help but  wonder why these people are afraid of intelligent women while they trust an incompetent man and vote for him to make him president).

   In November 2024 in the United States of America seventy-seven million people voted for a convicted felon instead of voting for the female candidate who had a clean record. This is not an opinion; this is a fact. 

    Social misogyny is expensive and destructive.

     Seventy-seven million people voted for a man who promised to lower grocery prices, stop the war in Ukraine and Gaza, fix the healthcare system and reduce gasoline prices. He also promised he would start no new wars and to be a dictator on day one. He expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin. This is what they voted for.

   On February 28 the man they voted for was responsible for the death of more than 160 girls in a school in Minab. I am still waiting for signs of accountability; the silence is deafening. This atrocity was not enough. Then he threatened to wipe out an entire civilization. Yet his sycophants continue to normalize him. 

   Many people have died as a result of the votes in November 2024 and continue to die. It is hard to keep up with so much destruction, injustice and irrationality.  Let’ s not forget the people in America who die in the hands of ICE. Money that could be invested in education, health and the environment is used to build detention centers to detain innocent people. I do not see any signs of social and fiscal responsibility here. 

    The trump regime is now busy going after political opponents, covering up for pedophiles and building a ballroom. It is also too busy trying to censor comedians and posting ridiculous material online by using AI... It is hard to understand why seventy- seven million voters in America have so little self-respect. It is truly sad to see how they were okay with voting for a man who is happy to destroy their own country. 

  How can they even call this the political party of social and fiscal responsibility?

   Let's refresh people's memories because they are very fragile and feeble. Seventy-seven million people voted for a  man who started an unlawful war to cover up for pedophile crimes. Ninety million people could not bring themselves to vote for a woman because she was not good enough for them.

  How many billion dollars are being spent daily on an unlawful war to kill children when the money could have been used for education, health and the environment?

 

      Social misogyny has devastating consequences for every country in the world and we need to face the truth and work to address it. This is why Do It Like a Woman is an important book.

  You will learn about women working to fight the corruption of systems that put women down in every country. You will learn what it means to simply try to live a normal life when the forces of sexism threaten your safety.

    Different versions of this book can be written in one million other ways with lots of different women, but this is what Caroline Criado Perez put together with comprehensive research. She shares the experiences of human beings fighting the good fight against structures of corruption and injustice.

   Let’s focus for a moment on the imposed stereotype that considers women  “irrational.” Here’s a thought on this on page 56:

  “’It is always a source of wonder to me how male anger, which so routinely explodes on our newspapers in the form of rape, beatings and murders, hasn’t earned men the label of ‘irrational’.” We are used to hearing how irrational women are; this is used to mock and safely dismiss women.  By the same token, when women behave in rational ways that challenge the concept of irrationality, they are treated with distrust. They are breaking some kind of rule that is used to stereotype them.   

   On page 107 there is an insightful analysis on the Greco-Roman roots of silencing women who speak up against systems of corruption. The influence runs deep in literature. I encourage you to read it because it will help you to awaken to biases that are accepted as part of the normal landscape.

   “An ancient scientific treatise pontificating on the way a ‘deep’ voice indicates manly courage, while a high voice alerts us to the presence of female cowardice; a Roman anthologist from the first century AD describing the ‘impudent’ barking and ‘yapping’ of a woman.”

  These influences have been carried by literary works throughout history, so it is important to identify these subliminal forces that shape mindsets and judgments.

  I like how she cites, for example, the case of Henry James, a celebrated writer. “In the nineteenth century, Henry James is explicit on this point in one of his essays comparing women’s voices to the moo of the cow, the bray of the ass and the bark of the dog. Like the undermining of women’s voices as shrill, nagging, whining, this reduction of female speech to animalistic, unintelligible noises serves a purpose beyond denying women access to human speech. It highlights the fundamental denial of access to rationality and knowledge.”

 

    Perhaps dismissing women’s voices is a tool to abuse power and disregard the need for empathy. It is a strategy to impede the growth of positive qualities in a society.

    I would change the title to Do it Like a woman who is not a sycophant. I think it is important to be specific here. It can make a world of difference, right?           

    Read it. Share it. Pass it on. We need more books like this one, not only to awaken people to their own biases, but also to change attitudes and behaviors.

    Stay informed, stay active.

 

  Relevant links with updated content, information and reflections on what is going on:

 

Fascism expert provides important insights to understand what is happening in America:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOHqE--T7-U

  

Brain Tyler Cohen explains clear examples on how the pathological liar’s words come back to haunt him:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GIeIGlSThw

 

How data centers are worsening climate change:

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/30/climate/data-centers-are-having-an-underrported

 

 

He promised to cut energy prices. The opposite is happening:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O7R4M3haac

 

 

He wants taxpayers to fund his ballroom:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwa3VXZojNQ

 

 

The regime is deleting data. This is a form of censorship and it facilitates the spread of falsehoods and misinformation:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/may/07/trump-administration-deleting-data

 

 

Black lawmakers are getting arrested for opposing the gutting of the Voting Rights Act:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYSLuE5I3dM

 

 

A refugee was left to die in the cold in Buffalo, New York. This is what Nazis did too:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/27/rohingya-refugees-buffalo-new-york

 

 

The pattern to silence women online is real:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/01/un-warns-women-in-public-life-face-increasingly-sophisticated-online-violence

 

 

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to read my writing on the following books:

 

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler

We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates