Ultimate List of Native American Books To Read Now
Recently, I wrote about Indigenous books, discussing different Indigenous authors from around the globe. In that post, I focused on Indigenous communities that many people
There are many elements around us like air, light, water, soil and plants that we take for granted. Just consider plants, for example, on how they shape our lives in profound ways. They feed us, heal us, and even communicate in ways science is only beginning to understand.
Human connection with plants is something of an observer. Over the centuries, plants have sparked human curiosity, inspiring myths and scientific discoveries.
Writers write about their resilience, intelligence, and deep connection to human life. So, their presence is like an active force that shapes human existence.
My fascination with books about plants goes way back. I also talked briefly about the best books like Sapiens. But here I only want to talk only about books on planting.
The list of these books about plants consists of fiction and non-fiction, providing unique perspectives. And, I hope you will like the list!
Richard Powers is one of the finest American writers, writing on the intersection of science and technology. The Overstory is one of his best books about plants, which also won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
The novel has nine characters, and each character has a different relationship with trees. There’s a Vietnam War veteran who plants thousands of trees. And, there’s a scientist who makes a groundbreaking discovery about how forests function.
And, other stories of the 7 remaining characters. As these characters understand the intelligence of trees, their lives take unexpected turns. Interestingly, the novel itself is structured like a tree. The book has sections like Roots, Trunk, Crown, and Seeds, showing the growth of its characters and ideas.
It’s a great environmental fiction on time, memory, and the cost of human progress. It also asks difficult questions about activism and sacrifice. Also, can we truly change our relationship with nature before it’s too late?
Mark Plotkin is an ethnobotanist who works with Indigenous tribes to preserve indigenous knowledge and the healing power of plants. This is one of his travel books about plants, as he goes to the Amazon rainforest to learn from indigenous shamans about their botanical wisdom.
In the Amazon forest, Plotkin apprentices with shamans and documents the use of medicinal plants to treat infections and life-threatening diseases. He shares about healing rituals, hallucinogenic plants, and how modern medicine is encroaching on traditional knowledge.
So, there are ethical questions about Western science in preserving this ancient wisdom. He also shares the process of identifying and cataloguing plants, and the ethical dilemmas of bioprospecting. And, how it is quite a challenge to bridge indigenous knowledge with Western pharmacology.
In fact, he worries about preservation, intellectual property, and the potential exploitation of indigenous wisdom by pharmaceutical companies. He also wants to preserve Indigenous knowledge before it is lost forever. I recently also covered this in the best non-fiction books of all time.
Wade Davis is a renowned anthropologist, ethnobotanist, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. He has spent decades documenting the cultural practices and botanical wisdom of Indigenous peoples.
One River is one of his best books on planting. It follows his teacher Schultes’ expeditions into the Amazon beginning in the 1940s, where he lived among indigenous groups, learning about their botanical wisdom.
He discovered hundreds of plant species, including hallucinogens like ayahuasca and the natural sources of curare, a powerful poison in modern medicine. His work laid the foundation for ethnobotany yet much of his work remained unknown.
Davis brings his teacher’s story to life by showing the challenges of uncharted territories and the respect his teacher had for the Indigenous peoples.
Later, Davis also shares his own journey across South America for decades, following his mentor’s path and witnessing the changes in the Amazon. While Schultes entered a world largely untouched by modernity, it is different for Davis. He encounters Indigenous communities struggling against deforestation, cultural erosion, and the encroachment of global industries.
There’s also a movie, The Embrace of the Serpent, which is the travel diary of two explorers; Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Professor Schultes. I covered this in Colombian movies.
Michael Pollan is one of the finest writers on food, agriculture, and the relationship between humans and nature. He has changed how we think about our relationship with plants. It’s because he perfectly blends science, history, and personal narrative to explain complex concepts simply.
The book has four sections and each section focuses on one plant and the human desire it fulfills. The apple represents sweetness, from the wild forests of Kazakhstan to the orchards of America. The tulip is all about beauty, leading Pollan to explore the 17th-century Dutch Tulip Mania.
Marijuana is linked to intoxication, and its section delves into the plant’s evolutionary chemistry, human cultivation, and its criminalization. Finally, the potato represents control, as Pollan investigates the rise of genetically modified crops and industrial agriculture.
The discussion about marijuana is interesting because Pollan is an authority on the subject. So, you can read more about psychedelics in this book about plants. You can also read his last question and answer in the interview, which is pretty interesting.
Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist whose work focuses on fungi. In Entangled Life, he shows how fungi shape life on Earth, as a decomposing matter and their influence on human culture and medicine. He argues that fungi are a vast interconnected network that challenges how we think about intelligence and evolution.
Sheldrake discusses the networks that connect trees in forests, also calling them the “Wood Wide Web.” Just like the World Wide Web, it lets plants share nutrients and information. Then, there’s psychedelic fungi and their effects on human perception and their potential for mental health treatments.
He also investigates how fungi can digest plastic, clean up oil spills, and even help create sustainable building materials. There’s also a discussion about underground ecosystems and their role in fermentation and food production.
Overall, it’s a great mind-expanding book that challenges our perspective on nature. His argument of fungi as active agents of change, constantly reshaping ecosystems, makes it one of the best books about plants.
When I wrote about historical fiction books, one of the criteria was to select books that span over centuries. Here, I’m sharing a historical fiction book that is not about war, peace, or family saga but about plants. Sounds interesting, right?
This is one of her best books about plants with rich historical details of botany, philosophy, and social customs of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Alma Whittaker is the daughter of a self-made botanical magnate in Philadelphia. At a young age, she becomes fascinated with the natural world, particularly mosses, which she studies obsessively. She even develops theories paralleling Darwin’s work on natural selection.
However, social limitations constrain her ambitions.
Eventually, her ambitions expand beyond scientific pursuits to love, spirituality, and global exploration. When in love with Ambrose Pike, a botanical illustrator with mystical beliefs, she goes on an unexpected journey. She begins from Philadelphia to Tahiti and Amsterdam, Netherlands.
It’s a great novel if you want to examine how science and faith might coexist. You should also check out spiritual books if you want to understand more about faith, love and spirituality.
Dalene Matthee is one of South Africa’s best novelists, especially for her work in the country’s indigenous forests. Circles in a Forest is one of her best environmental fiction books from the “Forest Novels” series. It is about the struggles of the Knysna forest and its people in the late 19th century.
Saul Barnard is a woodcutter who grew up in the Knysna forest during the late 19th century. The destruction of the ancient trees and the hunting of the majestic Knysna elephants troubles him. While others see the forest as a resource, he has a spiritual connection to it.
So, he is torn between his loyalty to his community and his conscience and struggles to protect the wilderness that is disappearing before his eyes. He must overcome personal and moral dilemmas to fight betrayal, greed, and the challenges of standing up to powerful forces.
His story is of resilience, inspiration and self-discovery. South Africa has many stories of resilience and inspiration. Nelson Mandela? Trevor Noah? Rugby World Cups? I cover these and many more in the best South African books.
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a Potawatomi botanist, professor and writer. Potawatomi is basically respecting and valuing the wisdom of tribal elders and using that wisdom as guidance for future generations.
In Braiding Sweetgrass, she explores the relationship between humans and the natural world, from Western science and Native American traditions. With her observations, she shows plants as teachers who give us lessons in gratitude, sustainability, and respect for the Earth.
She reflects on different aspects of plant life and Indigenous teachings. There’s a discussion about the sweetgrass plant, which is traditionally braided and used in ceremonies. She shares how Indigenous communities practise sustainable harvesting. Sadly, these lessons contrast with the exploitative mindset of modern consumer culture.
She also shares her experiences of teaching about the plants’ intelligence, learning from her elders, and applying Indigenous principles to environmental restoration efforts. Overall, it is one of the best books about plants and is also a call to respect nature.
It would be a grave injustice to plants and humans if I didn’t talk about coffee and tea plants. In fact, some time ago, I wrote about the wonderful world of coffee. Also, I covered the coffee-related book, Monk of Mokha, in the best books to read list.
So, today, let’s talk about the Pu-erh tea plant, the main subject of our books on planting. This novel really shows how much humans depend on plants for their livelihood, survival, inspiration and resilience.
Li-yan is born in an Akha ethnic minority family in the remote tea-growing mountains of Yunnan Province, China. Her people follow strict customs and believe in spiritual connections with the tea trees. As Li-yan grows up, she begins to question rigid traditions.
When she has a baby out of wedlock, she secretly abandons the child at an orphanage rather than follow Akha law. As her life unfolds, she becomes one of the first Akha women to work in the international tea trade.
Meanwhile, an American family adopts her daughter, Haley, and she grows up far from her origins, unaware of the rich history behind the rare Pu-erh tea plant. However, she must search for answers about her past.
Don’t forget to check out Chinese books to find grand and ambitious novels that perfectly complement China’s vastlands.
Although, I have covered many environmental fiction and non-fiction books about plants that have a common culprit– humans. However, I want to end books on planting list by sharing an inspirational story. After all, it’s the inspiration we need to make this world a better place for future generations.
The Sakura Obsession is about Japan’s cultural connection with cherry blossoms (sakura). And more importantly, it’s the story of a British man who dedicated his life to preserving them.
Collingwood Ingram was an English botanist and avid plant collector. He became captivated by Japan’s cherry blossoms in the early 20th century. During a visit to Japan, he noticed that many of Japan’s cherry tree species were disappearing due to modernization and selective cultivation of the ornamental Somei Yoshino variety.
Alarmed by this loss, Ingram made it his mission to save endangered sakura species, collecting and cultivating them in England. His work ultimately helped reintroduce certain Sakura varieties back to Japan.
It’s a great story about memory, conservation, and the relationship between nature and national identity. Also, Naoko discusses Sakura’s cultural significance and their use as nationalist symbols during wartime.
Want to explore more about Japan? Check out Japanese books and the best Japanese movies.
Plants are an integral part of our lives. For centuries, they have been our source of oxygen, food and all things essential for life. So, books about plants shouldn’t come as a surprise if you see them as part of human stories.
In fact, they are larger than our stories as our existence depends on them. And, it’s clear from environmental fiction books and other books on planting that, humans have not been as kind to plants as they have been to us.
And, kindness only goes as far as the kindness it receives in return.
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