''Nerburn documents his life deeply, showing his belief in the spiritual world of rocks, trees, winds, birds, animals and humans. He deals repeatedly with the buffalo, that age-old symbol of Indian dependence on Nature, from discussions with a buffalo rancher to his discovery of an old buffalo sculpture that has been robbed of its spirituality by a fence that symbolizes the way Western society makes sacred things merely 'important.'
...a 'poetry of thought' that begins and ends with a belief in the spiritual...'' — David Marcou, St. Paul Pioneer Press
''...a collection of mini-essays sculpted to reveal the profound impact of nature and 'place' on the human spirit, and idea central to American Indian philosophy and religion...
In 25 meditations, Nerburn shares discoveries that changed him forever: a rock shaped like the Madonna holding her child; a forlorn trailer home on a remote Minnesota highway; a perfect dawn.
It is a white man's journey with an Indian road map, emphasized by aboriginal songs, sayings and chants that are quoted at the start of each essay...
His promise, as hopeful as it is compelling, is that, if we take the Indian cue to listen to the land, to the primal forces of nature that shaped their homeland as well as ours, together we will find common ground; together we will hear the voice of God.'' —— Larry Oakes, Minneapolis Star Tribune
''In this beautifully written book, Kent Nerburn has assembled a group of poignant and poetic essays... The author of Letters to My Son is an ardent believer in the spiritual practice of listening. From the Ojibwe tribe with whom he has worked, he learned how to ''find a message in a thunderstorm or a promise in the passage of an eagle overhead.'' The voice of God speaks through the land.
Nerburn also practices the spiritual crafts of attention, being present, and wonder. He writes about an old pine tree that is a friend. He sees snow as ''a prayer shawl, donned upon the land,'' and he senses a wildness he can't control in an encounter with a buffalo. As the title of the book suggests, Nerburn has opened up his heart and all of his senses to appreciate the poetics of place, the changing of the seasons, and the Native American path of walking in beauty.'' — Frederic Brussat, Spiritual Literacy
''The land speaks to us through the voices of Native peoples, plant and animal life, and natural forces such as weather, as well as its geography, rhythms and even its darkness according to nature lover and visionary, Kent Nerburn, whose poetic voice touches our heart...
Nerburn helps us to realize that there is a common core of experience we share and that the primary bond linking all of us is our sacred Earth.'' — Kathy Juline, Science of Mind
''...Nerburn eases his way from conversation to quiet metaphor, aiming toward poetry and even prayer.'' — Jeanette Batz, The Riverfront Times
''Nerburn takes the reader on a quiet journey, a worship service in the wilderness and gives us a place to retreat with each chapter. Nerburn describes such things as finding a Madonna sculpted by naturure in a rock."—Gail Gabrielson, Fargo Forum
“This quiet, contemplative work offers profound insights about “the power of the great natural forces that surround us and shape our hearts and spirits” (Nerburn, Author’s Preface). Kent Nerburn, who has lived and worked among Native American peoples in his northern Minnesota home, bridges Native and non-Native (Judeo-Christian) cultures in eloquent prose that invites comparison to Anne Lamott and Annie Dillard.”— Reviewed by Nancy L. Roberts, State University of New York at Albany, United States. Literary Journalism Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 2018
