Introduction

A haunting novel spanning several generations, The Seed Keeper follows a Dakhóta 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, a former science teacher who tells her stories of plants, of the stars, of the origins of the Dakhóta people. Until, one morning, Ray doesn’t return from checking his traps. Told she has no family, Rosalie is sent to live with a foster family in nearby Mankato—where the reserved, bookish teenager meets rebellious Gaby Makespeace, in a friendship that transcends the damaged legacies they’ve inherited.

On a winter’s day many years later, Rosalie returns to her childhood home. A widow and mother, she has spent the previous two decades on her white husband’s farm, finding solace in her garden even as the farm is threatened first by drought and then by a predatory chemical company. Now, grieving, Rosalie 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. Honors for The Seed Keeper: A Book Riot "Best Book of 2021" A BuzzFeed "Best Book of Spring 2021" A Bustle "Most Anticipated Debut Novel of 2021 A Bon Appetit "Best Summer 2021 Read A Thrillist "Best New Book of 2021" A Books Are Magic "Most Anticipated Book of 2021" A Minneapolis Star Tribune "Book to Look Forward to in 2021" A Daily Beast "Best Summer 2021 Read"

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Discussion Questions

From Descultes Public Library, adapted from the publisher:

1. How does Wilson feature storytelling within Rosalie’s community and personal story (in linear and non-linear ways) to enrich history and legacy within the characters?

2. Consider the way the various timelines and characters are tied together in the conclusion of the novel. In what ways can readers of The Seed Keeper use these interwoven stories to reflect on intergenerational trauma, and more broadly, the role the past plays in the present and future, particularly in Indigenous communities?

3. Rosalie and Ida’s friendship is a powerful reminder that while we inherit a past legacy from those who came before us, we each get to choose the way we allow that legacy to influence how we conduct our lives. Can we glean lessons on reconciliation, with others and with the earth, from this relationship? If so, what might they be? If not, why do you think that is?

4. The Seed Keeper grapples directly with themes of environmental degradation, specifically at the hands of corporate agrictulture and genetically modified seeds protected by copyright. Ultimately, this corporate agriculture industry impacts the entire community in which Rosalie and her family are living. What elements of this conflict struck you? What impacts are industries like this one having on communities today?

5. Which tribes and Indigenous communities live near your home? Which crops and harvests do they hold sacred and are they able to still grow them? Have you eaten these foods?

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