Very thought provoking and informative, I enjoyed this a lot! The author writes very clearly and the topic was informative, it made me think a lot. This took some time to finish but it was worth it, 3.5 stars in total.

Dr. Jennifer Grenz’s Medicine Wheel for the Planet is an inspiring and thought-provoking journey that challenges conventional ecological approaches by blending Indigenous wisdom with Western science. Through her personal story and teachings of the medicine wheel, Grenz invites us to rethink our relationship with the Earth, offering a vision of healing rooted in reciprocity and respect. Her powerful narrative underscores the urgency of moving beyond colonial worldviews to embrace collective action and shared responsibility.

I always feel so motivated and some sort of urgency to help heal the planet any way I can when I read books like this. This book is a must-read for anyone passionate about environmental stewardship and searching for pathways to create meaningful, lasting change for our planet and communities.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Knopf Canada for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book really takes you on a journey. It was a super interesting read and I learned a lot! Compliments other books I have read about similar topics by other indigenous authors really well. Makes you think more deeply about yourself and the world around you, which is something I can always use more of!

Amazing! I learned a lot and I really liked it. It reminded me of Braiding Sweetgrass a bit. I am recommending this to a friend of mine who is a science teacher. I will probably buy a physical copy to reference.

Jennifer Grenz makes the topic of rethinking how we want to approach being environmental stewards very approachable. Something that could be a very dry read is anything but and her knowledge and many personal stories make this book a great read.

She writes about how we should hold Indigenous knowledge and western scientific knowledge/discovery in equal esteem and that both will be important for taking care of our aging planet.

It will have you rethinking many things you probably thought you understood about how to take care of our environment and will inspire you to want to do more or to act in more helpful ways.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a work where I e highlighted many passages to revisit and ponder further upon later. In this case I found many things to inspire my role as a teacher of young children. Ways I’d like to change my practice to even better respect that stage of life but of course would want to make any changes or addition to my teaching practice in a respectful way and with consultation so that it may happen through cultural appreciation not appropriation and through appropriate instructors if I’m not the right fit as a colonizer.

In conclusion this book is fantastic, eye opening and a way more easy and approachable and enjoyable read than you might expect upon reading the book jacket and you should definitely read it no matter what role you play in society.

The lessons in this book are extremely compelling, as well as timely, and are delivered in an accessible, beautifully written way. I was initially drawn to this book after finishing reading "Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults" together with my son and was hoping for a book along the same lines. This book is that and then some. My own education is solidly based in Western science and the study of plants and ecosystems, and it was wonderful to look at the subject from a completely different indigenous lens. This is something that I think has been missing in studies of ecology in North America for too long, and as we sit smack dab in the middle of our current global climate crisis I think it is doubly important to look at all solutions offered more closely.

Definitely worth a careful read as the author delves into a different way fo looking at our planet and the environment we live in. She comes at it from an Indigenous viewpoint and it certainly makes sense whether we can ever achieve it or not is doubtful in my opinion.

An ambitious, earnest, heart-felt treatise on the much-needed ecological redemption of our planet - not based on a restorative tunnel-visioned scientific dogma which is destined to fail (as it has been, repeatedly), but integrating a newly-integrated indigenous perspective in which we, the Humans, (caretakers of old), live out our healing, (of both ourselves, and our surroundings), through a primal and recognized shared mutual relationship with our lands and waters.

“What would ancestral wisdom tell us about healing our planet if we listened and allowed ourselves to see beyond the confines of a singular worldview?”

Instead of relying on polarizing theoretical environmental stances on native plants (good), invasive weeds (bad), and the restoration plans and ecological goals to achieve this, the author, an academic and field practitioner in the science of ecology, as well as an indigenous woman, urges the reader to step back and listen - to Nature, to the web of dynamic relations existing within it, to the ancient stories we have access to, to respect and honor and gratitude, and to all the senses invoked as we allow feelings, intuition and spirit (long regarded as non-scientific, therefore invalid) to inform our experiential knowledge, and ultimately enable the wisdom to allow healing.

With this lens, ecological conversations expand to encompass community needs, nutritional content, aesthetic beauty, pollinators and their food, medicinal value, birds and butterflies and other animals, the influence of the sun, fish-seeding of our rivers, as we, ‘“bringers of balance, shapers of land and waters” take on a shared and now expanded role long carried by our indigenous partners before the environmental devastation preceded by colonization, and capitalism.

Whew. It’s an incredible read, and a point of view which is impossible to forget, once you’ve taken the time to take it in. And really taking it in requires listening, and being ready, to consider this issue seriously and holistically, as the author so passionately explains and advocates.

Highly recommended, this is a challenging read but an essential one, geared to all who are interested in a full-spectrum healing mindset. If we let it in, this long overdue and not-to-be-missed reset may fundamentally change the way we experience ourselves and our planet, - a stewardship we must take on, with the humility of our “beginner’s mind”, for our most intimate, and intrinsic life-partner.

“We don’t save the environment like a mission or hobby. We are the environment.”

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

*** four and a half shiny stars

L:

The perfect blend of a non-fiction that looks at a serious problem in our society and approaches it with humility, humanity, and science. Definitely recommended for those wishing for a non-Western European approach to climate change. An eye-opening and important book.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

This is a book that I cautiously requested because of the title. At first glance, it looks like there’s going to be some real pan-NDN stuff going on and I’m not a fan of pan-NDN-ism. I wasn’t sure if I should pick this up. But, the description sounded like I should put my gut reaction aside and give it a chance. I'm glad that I did.

Jennifer Grenz spent 2 decades trying to fix and repair ecosystems in coastal BC. She practiced her traditional medicine at home, in secret. She learned to separate the two. She did such a good job she even rolled her eyes at people who tried to bring different perspectives into her work.

That's a level of internalization that I feel in my bones.

What Grenz offers us is the story of her journey, both professional and personal. We don't get two separate versions of her journey, we also don't get two intertwined or braided versions, what we do get is a presentation of both existing at once within a larger mosaic.

Grenz wants to change our perception in such a way that we are able to recognize the relationality of all things. This is, obviously, no small feat. Grenz can’t do this on her own, but what she can do is contribute to the change and share her journey as an example of what it means to see the world this way.

The idea here is that we should move from seeing ourselves as dominant and controlling of nature, something we clearly aren’t no matter how much ‘western civilization’ wants us to believe, to seeing ourselves as having responsibility in the balance of our world. Our actions have consequences. We can see this all around us today. As I write this, here in B.C. we have the media telling us that “fire season” is coming, but we already have fires, some still burning from last year. A perspective founded in the relationality Grenz is indicating wouldn’t give us the phrase and concept of “fire season” as it is used today.

This book is a gift. Gifts come with responsibility. If you pick this up, make sure you do something to honour that. Her story and stories meet us where we are, the next steps are up to us.

3.5 rounded up. This was written in a memoir like format that made it easy to follow and stay interested. I liked that the author didn't claim to have all the answers and instead raised questions and concerns and shared what she had learned and wondered about. This book is a good thought-provoking tool to help consider a broader context around nature and science.

This is a helpful addition to writing on the challenges and possibilities for understanding Indigenous knowledge and its relationship to Western scientific approaches. Much firsthand experience is shared to help you understand the real tension and costs between approaches, and it's important to see the flaws in mainstream ecological work.

A fantastic piece of adult non fiction that is perfect for readers of Braiding Sweet Grass, An Immense World, and Fire Weather.

A truly revolutionary book that lays out some foundations for incorporating indigenous research methods into the (colonial) Western scientific method. Dr. Grenz tries to reconcile their tradition western education in the sciences with their indigenous ancestry, philosophies, and knowledge by approaching ecological questions through the lens of the medicine wheel.

This book was so informative, eye opening, and pragmatic. I couldn't help but be swayed by Dr. Grenz's well thought out and deeply emotional account of the ways that capitalism, colonialism, and ecological activism have failed us collectively. While many ecologists seem obsessively focused on solutions, Dr Grenz takes a step back and invites readers to investigate the problems underlying the climate crisis.

Refreshing hopeful and thought provoking.

An essential read for everyone!

Accomplished ecologist, Dr. Jennifer Grenz felt a disconnect between her expertise as a Western scientist and her connection to the land as a Nlaka’pamux woman. In her writing she takes us along on her incredibly eye-opening journey to bring together Western science and Indigenous ecology. We are truly privileged to be able to hear the knowledge Dr. Grenz shares through sacred stories from elders, field observations, and her personal journey around the medicine wheel.

It is important that we learn from the stories Dr. Grenz has shared and use them to be in better relations with Planet Earth. Ecologists to high school students, and everyone in between would benefit from reading this book and learning more from Indigenous knowledge keepers.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada, Knopf Canada, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley but my opinions are my own.

"Medicine Wheel for The Planet" is an insightful book written by Dr. Jennifer Grenz. This book presents a beautiful exploration of indigenous beliefs and the care for our natural resources. Through its pages, readers will find a profound connection to nature and an understanding that the lands and waters need us just as much as we need them.

"Medicine Wheel for The Planet" is a must-read that fosters a greater understanding and appreciation of our natural environment and the importance of its conservation.

This book is about Dr. Grenz’s journey from her career in ecology grounded in western ideas to her realization that Indigenous ways of understanding can help to bridge the gap she was feeling in her work. She discusses the ways in which we don’t have to choose between these two perspectives and can instead use both Western and Indigenous approaches to ecology to see the full picture and how we can better connect to and heal the planet.

This was an interesting book, as it weaves in the Grenz’s personal and professional stories and her learnings as she integrates her Indigenous identity and ways of knowing and understanding into her ecological journey. It has some really great messages and insights - particularly the sacredness of storytelling, the lasting effects of colonialism and colonial thinking, and how racism and even shallow ideas of “inclusion” can undermine how we show up in the world and the impact of our work - that can be applied beyond this field.

The book was accessible, well-written, and explored important topics as the need to address the health and wellbeing of our earth becomes more and more dire for all of us. While I don’t think this type of book was a perfect match for me (and that is totally on me and not a reflection of the book’s quality), I think this is a great foray into the field of ecology. It not only provides a more holistic view of the topic, but it also offers an understanding of the world from an extremely thoughtful and potentially new perspective - which we all can benefit from. Solid 3/5!

Tbh due to being ill I was unable to download this book on time, but I look forward to aquiring a copy and enjoying this important work and sharing what I take from it with those I know

Ironically, I received a copy of this novel from NetGallery at a Two-Eyed Seeing climate action conference run by Plenty Canada, an Indigenous not-for-profit organization. This book reflects all of the themes spoken at the conference.

Dr. Grenz perfectly articulates how people must relearn to listen to the land through an Indigenous ecology lens. We need to connect our minds and hearts to the land and relearn to love the land that is our mother, to treat the land as we would treat our mother. Western knowledge lacks empathy for the environment, whereas Indigenous knowledge emphasizes reconciliation with the environment. It is truly important for place-based learning to learn to respect the land, just as one should respect one's elders. It is important to remember that humans impact nature, reshaping it through action and inaction, and through this, we are impacting ourselves.

A beautiful novel that should be read alongside Braiding Sweetgrass.

4⭐️ B O O K R E V I E W
Genre: Non-fiction
Pub Date: Today!

“Eloquent, inspiring, and disruptive, Medicine Wheel for the Planet circles around an argument that we need more than a singular worldview to protect the planet and make the significant changes we are running out of time for.”

My sister and I read this book together. It was well written and didn’t have a lot of jargon which made it easy to read. It was really motivating and made us want to make meaningful changes. We wonder now, how we can become more involved with land healing.

Memorable parts
- How Mother Earth depends on us to balance the ecosystem (need positive human relationship) aka land healing instead of ecological restoration
- Conversation around “native” vs “non-native” species (from what point in time were they considered native enough?)
- The Kwakwaka’wakw story
- “At a time when we are more aware than ever of mental and physical health issues, where our minds and bodies are calling out for help, is it not a coincidence that our planet is also in distress? Heal the people, heal the land. Heal the land, heal the people.”
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Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.