Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Active CASA volunteers, staff, and board members are all invited to join PA CASA’s Statewide Book Club. To kick off the new year, our next book club selection will be Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
It's easy to join!
New to PA CASA's Book Club? We believe in the power of literature to connect people, expand horizons, and promote empathy. Our Book Club is designed to foster meaningful conversations.
Register for the date you wish to attend, either Option 1 or 2. You will receive the virtual meeting link and a calendar invite.
Please register to receive the virtual meeting link for the conversation. If you need to switch dates, please contact Ashley Frank ([email protected]).
About the Upcoming Title
You might be wondering: Why are we choosing a book that isn’t directly about child advocacy or the child welfare system? As we begin a new year, we wanted to find a book that offers an invitation to pause, reflect, and think intentionally about how we show up in our advocacy work.
Braiding Sweetgrass invites us to think deeply about systems, relationships, responsibility, and care—themes that sit at the heart of CASA work. Through stories that weave together science, Indigenous knowledge, and lived experience, this book challenges us to consider how systems can either nurture or harm the people within them.
As CASA volunteers, we work within complex systems that affect children and families long before a case ever reaches court. This book offers a chance to step back, reflect, and explore questions like:
- What does it mean to practice advocacy rooted in respect and relationship?
- How do systems impact families across generations?
- How can we hold responsibility not just for immediate outcomes, but for long-term well-being?
This will be a reflective, discussion-based book club focused on learning, curiosity, and connection. We hope you’ll join us as we explore what this book can teach us about advocacy, humility, and care.
Note: This nonfiction work explores Indigenous perspectives and environmental themes, including reflections on colonization, ecological loss, racism, and grief in nature. While not graphically violent, some metaphors and historical context may be emotionally impactful.