Pharmer’s Book ClubOct 7, 2025
Every fall, people in more than 100 U.S. cities celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day with Native food, performances, art, music, traditional ceremonies, and public discourse about environmental and social justice. If you're curious about Indigenous culture and love both herbalism and nature, you'll appreciate this list of book recommendations.
In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day, fill your to-be-read shelf with these herb-inspired books by Indigenous authors and enjoy reading them throughout the year!
Anyone interested in climate justice should pick up this book by Indigenous scientist and best-selling author Jessica Hernandez, Ph.D. In this non-fiction book, Hernandez breaks down why western conservationism isn't working and proposes solutions based on Indigenous models that she's backed by case studies. This book also features personal stories and family histories that center the voices of Latin American women and land protectors. According to the publisher, Hernandez “introduces and contextualizes Indigenous environmental knowledge and proposes a vision of land stewardship that heals rather than displaces, that generates rather than destroys.” It's a must-read for those who appreciate the cross-section of ancestral stories and science.
This book is a touching companion for anyone brave enough to open their heart! Author Pixie Lighthorse offers beautiful prose that pulls you in and reveals stirring thoughts about one's capacity to heal from heartbreak. Lighthorse's book is informed both by her wisdom as a member of the Choctaw Nation along with her courageously lived life. According to the publisher, it's her “most personal work yet…” where the reader is “invited to embark on a journey of self-acceptance.” The book synopsis states, “The Wound Makes the Medicine isn't a call for immediate transformation but a guide to embracing our wounds as teachers that reveal our strength, resilience, and capacity to heal.”
In Braiding Sweetgrass, author and botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer shows how other living beings offer us life lessons. This New York Times Bestseller explores an essential element of many indigenous cultures, and that's the reciprocal relationship between humanity and nature. Our Herbalist & Researcher Heather Saba recommended this read and shared, “As an Anthropologist, I love herbal books that weave indigenous wisdom and storytelling while teaching about plants. Anyone who has read Braiding Sweetgrass can attest to the beauty of Robin Wall Kimmerer's stories, and how they will impact the way you live in the natural world forever.”
If you loved the book Braiding Sweetgrass, check out author and botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer’s new book, The Serviceberry. According to the publisher, this book is “a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world.” Almost like a mental walk through the woods, this book explores the concept of the gift economy through the lens of a natural world. Starting with a beautiful scene where Kimmerer is harvesting Serviceberries alongside the birds, she poses questions about how we can learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine our economy and lives. 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.”
Get lost in this haunting fiction novel that spans several generations. In The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson, main character Rosalie Iron Wing moves through a beautifully told story of reawakening, of remembering our original relationship to the seeds and, through them, to our ancestors. Recommended by our Herbalist & Product Education Manager Lina Watanabe, she said “This book moved me in so many ways. I couldn’t put it down and read it in a few days, even with a toddler at home! Though I come from a different culture, I resonated with the idea of trying to remember and keep your cultural traditions but also losing the people that taught them to you. They are always alive inside of you and the ancestral knowledge usually does come back when you need it.”
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