The Seed Keeper - by Diane Wilson (Paperback)

About the Book

"Compelling . . . The Seed Keeper invokes the strength that women, land, and plants have shared with one another through the generations." --ROBIN WALL KIMMERER

Book Synopsis

"Compelling . . . The Seed Keeper invokes the strength that women, land, and plants have shared with one another through the generations." -ROBIN WALL KIMMERER

Review Quotes

Praise for The Seed Keeper

"With compelling characters and images that linger long after the final page is turned, The Seed Keeper invokes the strength that women, land, and plants have shared with one another through the generations."-Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

"In chapters that shift among the perspectives of four Dakhóoacute;ta women--including Rosalie's great-aunt, who grew plants because the seeds in her pocket were 'all that's left of my family'--Wilson tracks Rosalie's attempts to understand her family and her roots, and considers how memory cultivates a sense of connection to the land." --New Yorker

"[A] moving and monumental debut novel . . . Wilson opens her book with the poem, 'The Seeds Speak, ' in which the seeds declare, 'We hold time in this space, we hold a thread to / infinity that reaches to the stars.' This novel illuminates that expansiveness with elegance and gravity." --Minneapolis Star Tribune

"[Wilson's] writing is almost like a lullaby, guiding you gently across the tale. There is poetry in the words, a love for nature you can feel seeping through each page." --Book Riot, "Best Books of 2021"

"[The Seed Keeper] is a gorgeous and moving work of fiction with memorable characters that will stay in your heart and body for a long time." --BuzzFeed, "Brilliant Books That Explore Our Relationship with Nature"

"Spend a long afternoon with this beautiful, immersive novel. It traces Rosalie Iron Wing's family history through four generations of women who have loved, lost, and fought to retain their Dakota culture and the seeds that sustain them." --Bon Appetit Magazine, "Best Summer 2021 Reads"

"Like watching a garden grow from seed to harvest, this novel quietly unfolds to tell the story of several generations of Dakhóta women and the land that connects them." --The Daily Beast, "Best Summer Reads of 2021"

"[The Seed Keeper] tells the story of Rosalie Iron Wing, a Dakota woman who, after surviving the foster care system to make a life of her own in the world, must confront the harsh realities--climate change, capitalism--of contemporary farming life. In looking to her past for answers Rosalie finds unexpected communion with her ancestors, the women--strong, resilient, proud--who made her who she is." --Literary Hub, "Most Anticipated Books of 2021"

"Told through the voices of four remarkable women, this is a book about preservation . . . This beautiful generational saga challenges conventional American history, asking us to reckon with the traumas brought upon Native Americans." --Observer, "Can't-Miss Books of Spring 2021"

"A powerful story recounting the attempted genocide of Indigenous people in America--and how they continue to survive." --Alma, "Best New Books of Spring 2021"

"It's a moving multi-generational story about the destruction of Native American families, communities and lands--but also about reconnection, hope and the natural world . . . Wilson offers a different kind of idealism: one where community, family and the seeds can create the future we're seeking."--TODAY Show Online

"The Seed Keeper is a deeply empathetic portrayal of a character grappling with a vibrant heritage complicated by pain, loss, and

About the Author

Diane Wilson (Dakhóta) is the author of a memoir, Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past, which won a Minnesota Book Award and was selected for the One Minneapolis One Read program, as well as a nonfiction book, Beloved Child: A Dakota Way of Life, which was awarded the Barbara Sudler Award from History Colorado. Her most recent essay, "Seeds for Seven Generations," was featured in the anthology A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota. Wilson has received a Bush Foundation Fellowship as well as awards from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Jerome Foundation, and the East Central Regional Arts Council. In 2018, she was awarded a 50 Over 50 Award from Pollen/Midwest. Wilson has served as the executive director for Dream of Wild Health and the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance, working to help rebuild sovereign food systems for Native people. She is a Mdewakanton descendent, enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation, and lives in Shafer, Minnesota.