For Small Creatures Such As We: Rituals and reflections for finding wonder

Description

'A charming book, ringing with the joy of existence.' - Richard Dawkins 'How often have you asked yourself: What is the meaning of life? Sasha Sagan finds it everywhere - with her family, around the world, and especially among the stars... Read her work; you'll have a deeper appreciation for your every step, every bite, and every breath.' - Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society Sasha Sagan's parents - the astronomer Carl Sagan and the writer and producer, Ann Druyan - taught her that the natural world and vast cosmos are full of profound beauty, and that science reveals truths more wondrous than any myth or fable. When Sagan herself became a mother, she began her own hunt for the phenomena behind our most treasured occasions - from births to deaths, holidays to weddings, anniversaries, and more - growing these roots into a new set of rituals for her young daughter to honour the joy and significance of each experience without relying on a religious framework. Part memoir, part handbook and part social history, For Small Creatures Such as We is a luminous exploration of all of Earth's marvels that requires no faith in order to be believed.

Sasha Sagan holds a degree in Dramatic Literature from New York University. She has worked as a television producer, filmmaker, editor, and speaker. Her writing has appeared in New York Magazine, O. the Oprah Magazine, The Violet Book, and elsewhere. For Small Creatures Such as We is her first book.

'A lucent, lovingly written, and joyous book.' - Jonathan Cott, author of There's A Mystery There 'A warm, elegant hymn to finding the spiritual in the secular and the romance in everyday ritual. Sasha Sagan writes beautifully on the power of deep-rooted historical traditions, and the pleasure of inventing our own.' - Greg Jenner, author of A Million Years in a Day 'Sasha Sagan has written a lovely book about the sense of wonder and the beauty of rituals-even for the non-religious. It's an answer to my secular prayers.' - A. J. Jacobs, author of Thanks A Thousand 'Sagan has written the book I've always needed to make sense of this world. She makes that spiritual muscle so deeply hidden in my guts feel perfectly at home in the universe. She is that wise friend, in-cahoots with the muse of perspective, that changes your life as she describes the world she sees. I want everyone to read this book. But first, stare at the starry night sky. And when your chest expands with wonder and humility, sit down and read.' - Jedidiah Jenkins, author of To Shake the Sleeping Self