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Named a Best Book for 2021 by Book Riot, Ms. Magazine, Reader’s Digest; earned a Rave review from Book Marks; named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Literary Hub, Bustle, Thrillist, Observer, Alma, The Millions, the Star Tribune, with starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and BookPage.
A thoughtful, moving meditation on connections to the past and the land that humans abandon at their peril.
–Kirkus Reviews
Compelling ... "The Seed Keeper" invokes the strength that women, land, and plants have shared with one another through generations.
–Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of "Braiding Sweetgrass"
About the Book
A haunting novel spanning several generations, The Seed Keeper follows a Dakota family's struggle to preserve their way of life, and their sacrifices to protect what matters most.
Rosalie Iron Wing has grown up in the woods with her father, Ray, until, one morning, he doesn't return. Told she has no family, Rosalie is sent to live with a foster family in nearby Mankato―where she meets rebellious Gaby Makespeace, in a friendship that transcends the damaged legacies they've inherited. Years later, Rosalie returns to her childhood home and begins to confront the past, on a search for family, identity, and a community where she can finally belong. In the process, she learns what it means to be descended from women with souls of iron―women who have protected their families, their traditions, and a precious cache of seeds through generations of hardship and loss, through war and the insidious trauma of boarding schools.
Weaving together the voices of four indelible women, The Seed Keeper is a beautifully told story of reawakening, of remembering our original relationship to the seeds and, through them, to our ancestors.
Photo Credit: Sarah Whiting
Resources & Organizations
illinoisplants.org: Recommended resources for plant identification in Illinois and surrounding regions.
Learn about the 3 sisters planting method and download a recipe from Native Partnership.
Lake Forest Open Lands Association is an independently funded conservation and educational organization devoted to the acquisition and stewardship of our natural landscapes, and to ensuring all generations have a meaningful, lasting connection to nature and our land.
Lake County Forest Preserves: Native Plants and Healthy Hedges
Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities.
2023 Lake Forest Reads events are also provided in support of Native Voices, the community-wide initiative to illuminate Native communities in the Lake Forest and surrounding areas. For details, visit www.lfola.org/native-voices.