What We Sow: On the Personal, Ecological, and Cultural Significance of Seeds

by Jennifer Jewell

An insightful, personal, and timely exploration into the wonderful world of seeds.

In What We Sow, Jennifer Jewell brings readers on an insightful, year-long journey exploring the outsize impact one of nature's smallest manifestations—the simple seed. She examines our skewed notions where "organic" seeds are grown and sourced, reveals how giant multinational agribusiness has refined and patented the genomes of seeds we rely on for staples like corn and soy, and highlights the efforts of activists working to regain legal access to heirloom seeds that were stolen from Indigenous peoples and people of color. Throughout, readers are invited to share Jewell's personal observations as she marvels at the glory of nature in her Northern California hometown. She admires at the wild seeds she encounters on her short daily walks and is amazed at the range of seed forms, from cups and saucers to vases, candelabras, ocean-going vessels, and airliners.

What We Sow is a tale of what we choose to see and what we haven't been taught to see, what we choose to seed and what we choose not to seed. It urgently proves that we must work hard to preserve and protect the great natural diversity of seed.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Gardening, Science, Ecology, Audiobook, Agriculture

Audible Audio

Published September 19, 2023

Reviews

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who keeps a vegetable garden throughout the various growing seasons, I think a lot about what I plant and where the seeds I purchase come from. This book lead me to think more about that and made connections that I would have never considered before reading it. This book was extremely educational and an interesting read. I really enjoyed the dated entries interspersed throughout the chapters, it added an indepth look into the authors thoughts on the topics discussed in the book.
I'll definitely be recommending this book to any of my friends who also have an interest in gardening!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

m interesting exploration of seeds through the eyes of Jennifer Jewell in her everyday like. I really like the dated entries throughout the book so that you could picture the time of year and what was happening in her life at the time. It was clearly a well researched book although with all the terminology and in depth information at times it felt more like a textbook than a book I was reading for fun.
If you are interested in seed history and gardening then this would be a good book to pick up.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had abandoned this book for a while, but always wanted to get back to it. It didn't read like a memoir, short stories, or non fiction... it was a funky mix. It's hard to get into/stay in, but it had some interesting insight, connections, and facts about seeds. I think this subject and all interrelated subjects are crucial to life and food on Earth!

[P.J. O'Brien]

This book was really hard to rate. Perhaps it would have been better if I'd read it exclusively and in page order, but I found that hard to do. I loved the parts about seeds themselves and enjoyed other sections. But it seemed like a series of essays and I prefer to read essays only now and then, in between other kinds of reading.

I'd gotten the book as a thoughtful gift from someone close to me who doesn't think about plants much, but is happy to see me be happy with them. And since it's divided into months of the year for its themes, I decided to slow the reading and read the chapters in the corresponding real-time months. This worked fine, though the author's climate and ecosystems didn't always match mine.

[Victoria Schell · Rating 4 out of 5]

What We Sow by Jennifer Jewel is a celebration of life. This narrative of the history, biology, and importance of seeds also serves as a memoir. This text is beautifully written with bountiful poetic language. Any avid gardener, nature lover, or human being will find the information incredibly insightful and a reason to pause and reflect on his/her impact on the earth. We are currently living in a world where plants struggle to survive in a world overrun with grass (“In 2019, the United Nations (U.N.) reported that “the average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen by at least 20%, mostly since 1900, and that around 1 million animal and plant species are now threated with extinction, many within in decades, more than ever before in human history” (page 42). While seeds are vital to life, but they are an incredible and small form of life themselves. They are complex blueprints of genetic information that will grow into the plants that will support life on earth.

As an amateur gardener and a lover of nature, I love this book. There is so much information about seeds and their complex life. My only issue with this book is the overly technical language. Jewel often uses heavy scientific language that makes it hard to wrap your head around what you are reading. I understand the purpose, and she does try to mitigate the complexity, it was pretty overwhelming in sections. That being said, I would still recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about seeds or is a gardener.

[Alix · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough run-down of seeds, their protectors within communities, connections to plant diversity and diversity of cultures, and all of the people/organizations protecting and spreading seeds around the world. Jewell did a great job of synthesizing the myriad collections of ideas and facts around seeds and seed organizations while weaving in a "story" of (at least one year of) her own life.

I appreciated the biology and "plant nerd" portions (use of scientific plant names, plant part vocabulary, refreshers of plant/genetic processes, etc.), but sometimes got bored with the more personal vignette stories highlighting specific geographic or blooming features around her home near Chico, CA. Mostly because they seemed so random in amongst the descriptions of GMO issues, seed patent issues, and loss of crop seed biodiversity.

Still a book that captures you and takes you on a journey. So many of the issues related to seeds are intertwined and difficult problems to solve... and this book leaves you with very little optimism for "saving the world" by saving seeds.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Jewell's "What We Sow" is a deep dive into the world of seeds, revealing their significance and the critical need to protect their diversity. It's not just a book, it's a memoir, a history lesson, and a poetic exploration of life's tiniest marvels.

Jewell's beautifully written narrative educates readers about the biology, history, and importance of seeds. It's a poignant reminder of the urgent need to preserve the diversity of these life-giving elements.

This book incredibly insightful. However, there are moments when the language can be a bit overwhelming. Despite this, "What We Sow" remains a compelling read,

In a world where our impact on the earth is ever more significant, this book is a thought-provoking and enlightening exploration of the seeds that sustain life. It's a rich, intense journey that encourages readers to reflect on their relationship with the environment.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a book you can read in one sitting. This is a delicate weaving of (as the author states on the cover)"On the personal, ecological and cultural significance of seeds".

If you take the time to read slowly and let the layers of writing settle into place, this is a book you purchase to keep on your bookshelf to read and reread as time allows.

[Rhonda Lomazow · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who grew up in the city this was an informative inspiring read about seeds planting growing them.A memoir and an informative book about Jennifer Jewells excitement and awe of gardening was really interesting.#netgalley #timberpress

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is difficult to read because of the density of the information. But, a book well worth my time. It is especially interesting when I skip around and read the topics that were more interesting to me and more global, historical in reach.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting if you are a gardener or a farmer don’t miss this book.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. God this was boring and such a dry attempt to constantly sound smart but not interesting.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

What We Sow is an engaging and well written memoir on the cultural and ecological significance of seeds written by Jennifer Jewell. Released 19th Sept 2023 by Hachette on their Timber Press imprint, it's a substantial 392 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is an often profound rumination on the impact of agribusiness, food security, heirloom seeds and reclaiming the culturally significant traditional plant varieties, and the author's personal engagement with the species around her. She does a good job of knitting the threads together into an often sobering and cohesive whole.

It's set up in chapters around a calendar year, from autumn's seed setting and dormancy, through summer's production and harvest. The author also takes a look at the potentially bleak future for inhabitants of planet earth without a paradigm shift of epic proportions.

There's a lot of information in this volume, and it's well grounded and presented. The book also contains a bibliography and resources list for further reading.

Four stars. This would make a good selection for public or school library acquisition, home use, as well as for gardening groups and community garden/allotment reference collections.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mix of personal diary sections and the more academic, educational sections was not done particularly well in my opinion. Honestly, I don’t think the diary entries contributed much. The author dives into many social issues relating to agriculture, and seed ownership and stewardship, as well as educating the reader on the basics about seeds and plant life, and the personal asides didn’t connect strongly with these topics at times or didn’t add to the discussion. They were also too surface-level to be an interesting look into the author’s experiences either.

I was also put off by some of the ways the author appealed to this idea of the sacredness of nature to oppose harmful modern agricultural techniques. There were plenty of good, compelling arguments against, for example, the way companies are using GMOs, but then it circled back to this baseless division that put some agricultural practices, including carefully selecting for and cultivating desired traits in the ‘natural’ and ones the author disliked in ‘unnatural’. The natural = good/divine, human-made = bad (so all good things must be natural) is something that annoys me personally and that I think undermines some of the author's points, but other readers without the same pet peeves might not be bothered by it. Same with some of the other minor mixing of science with spiritual beliefs that popped up.

I did think I learned a fair bit about seeds from this, particularly about the creation and maintenance of seed banks, and I think the issues the author addresses regarding harmful agricultural processes and loss of genetic diversity are important to be aware of.

[Katryn Seeburger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important read not only for the growing gardener, but anyone interested in the way we sustain our lives. There is massive cultural importance to what varieties we grow and use as we pass down our knowledge of the garden and cooking and this book really hit on the people doing amazing work to support that history.

It’s ever important to protect our seeds and varieties as we continue through life in a highly industrialized world. Having choices to decide what we wish to grow and consume from our own efforts is vital to survival.

[Kim LaFleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very meticulously, methodically and well written book about the evolution of Seeds. As a three year gardener, whose first year seed distribution was zero and then googling why my poppies did not grow (cold stratification) this was instrumental in helping find the next step of my journey…harvesting the seeds! This can be a deep book and I recommend taking breaks, researching the plants (on google) to help keep the in depth analysis in. I liked how the author provided some of her journal entries and then explored with facts and figures. I enjoyed the book!

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Life is short and there are so many books to read. Should I continue reading a non-fiction book about gardening that is trying to communicate the science of seeds, when in the opening pages the author promotes planting by the phase of the moon, a method devoid of any scientific basis? I haven't decided if I will delve further into the book but I will have serious concerns about what I read from here on.

[Loni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts were very good. Creation of seed banks, individuals starting companies to keep seeds from the domain of the four companies that own ALL OF THE SEEDS. Seed science. The personal parts could be tedious. It wasn't a good blend of personal diary and scientific information. When she kept adding her personal political ideology, I was frustrated. I personally dislike political ideology being "forced" on me when I'm not expecting it.

[Samyy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it 3 stars because I like seeds and I hate to rag on anyone talking about them just because I’m too daft to understand it all - but I did find that it was pretty boring, and this is not my first book on seeds. It did discuss some interesting things but for the most part I tuned in and out and barely listened to anything. Sorryyyyy. Doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it though!

[Steph Symington · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rarely abandon a book but despite being a topic I am passionate about, this book just didn’t have enough life to keep me interested.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. Very esoteric at the end. But definitely a good read for a "plant person." I learned a lot about the role of seed saving from past times and its importance in the present day.

[Ethan Skuches · Rating 4 out of 5]

don’t know if i loved the format of it, and it was pretty dense, but i learned a lot and can really appreciate it and the author. will be reading the seed keeper at some point