Readers' Advisory: Gathering Moss: Home

Readers’ Advisory
Shelley Marcus, Professor, Reference Librarian, Chaffey College

Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Oregon State University Press. 2019.

Welcome to Readers’ Advisory!  Did you know that reading for pleasure increases student and all-around success? 

If you’re looking for a zen read about the wonders of nature, consider reading this engrossing, compact book.

The author of this book, a Native American, a botanist and an environmental science professor, shares her unique perspective in this interwoven collection of essays on one humble yet fascinating aspect of the natural world, moss. 

You may remember the author from a previous Readers’ Advisory featuring her book Braiding Sweetgrass.

Imbued with an adventurous spirit, scientific knowledge and an indigenous way of looking at nature, Kimmerer embarks on a remarkable journey, finding awe in the everyday.

Referring to moss, the author writes, “Their way of being in the world cannot be told by data alone.  They remind me to remember that there are mysteries for which a measuring tape has no meaning. Questions and answers that have no place in the truth about rocks and mosses.”

In another passage, she explains, “In indigenous ways of knowing, it is understood that each living being has a particular role to play.  Every being is endowed with certain gifts, its own intelligence, its own spirit, its own story.”

Let the author guide you through a world of science and Native American wisdom, transmitted by way of this humble plant.

This book is one of the 250,000 eBooks in our library collection, available 24/7.

Here is a brief video that will introduce the book and show how to access all eBooks.

Here is the permalink to Gathering Moss.

Questions?  Contact me at shelley.marcus@chaffey.edu