This Sweet Earth: Walking With Our Children in the Age of Climate Collapse by Lydia Wylie-Kellermann is part-reflection, part-guide on how to live today firmly grounded in the earth around us. While the subtitle might lead us toward grief, Wylie-Kellermann shows us a possibility of rooting our way of life in awareness that I found joyful and inspiring. This isn’t a how-to-raise-your-kids kind of book, but it uses the lens of her parenting as a guide for all of us. Through anecdotes and insights of her children, I found the way she valued their interactions with creation important in remembering to value everyone—to not dismiss someone’s views due to age or ability. I thought of the way my own child with disabilities relates to water and trees, and how that inspires me to slow down and take notice of the earth and the creatures around us and our interconnectedness.
You don’t need to be a parent to find this book deeply meaningful—instead, it reminds me that we are all still learning (as a Christian, I believe we are all children of God) and that we all have that capability for awe and wonder. This leads us into understanding our relationship with creation and our desire to become better caretakers of life around us. I not only appreciated each chapter, but the suggestions and resources at the end. I also resonated with the practice of gratitude as a core value, which is one I have daily participated in on social media. Wylie-Kellermann explains gratitude as a way of resistance to greed. Her work reminds me that when we are connected to our values, we are connected to others in relationship, and we want the best for others, including the earth.
I highly recommend this book, whether one is a parent or not. It can remind us that the children of our neighborhoods (perhaps the ones who attend the public schools you pay taxes for) are our neighbors and have a relationship with the neighborhood, including the animals and plants we live among and with, Perhaps this book will inspire us to do better for the earth in how we live, work, and advocate.
This Sweet Earth will be available July 23rd! I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.