"A charming book, ringing with the joy of existence." -- Richard Dawkins
"This lyrical exploration of how we can find beauty in the natural world comes from the daughter of Carl Sagan . . . A wonderful gift for your favorite reader." --Good Housekeeping
The perfect gift for a loved one or for yourself, For Small Creatures Such as We is part memoir, part guidebook, and part social history, a luminous celebration of Earth's marvels that require no faith in order to be believed.
Sasha Sagan was raised by secular parents, the astronomer Carl Sagan and the writer and producer Ann Druyan. They taught her that the natural world and vast cosmos are full of profound beauty, that science reveals truths more wondrous than any myth or fable.
When Sagan herself became a mother, she began her own hunt for the natural 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 that honor the joy and significance of each experience without relying on religious framework.
As Sagan shares these rituals, For Small Creatures Such as We becomes a moving tribute to a father, a newborn daughter, a marriage, and the natural world--a celebration of life itself, and the power of our families and beliefs to bring us together.
So, I went into this thinking it would be a little different than what it turned out to be. I was looking for something to help me create my own rituals. However, I ended up liking it so much that I bought it, because so much of what she has to say really just resonated with me. I even *gasp* dog-eared a page!
Sagan discusses how human beings need ritual - we thrive on it. And how, since so many of us are no longer a part of the church (or whatever religion we may have started out in), we lose out on that feeling of togetherness with the rituals. And that really hit home for me. She goes from the beginning of the year to the end, and discusses the traditional rituals, where they may have come from, and even sometimes what her own family does. She talks about her parents with a devotion that is just so lovely. And while I didn't come out of the book with any specific ideas for my own rituals, I still felt like the book was a bit of a balm to my aching soul.
It's a great book, it's not a long read, and it's one that I can see myself reading over and over again. Well worth the purchase price, for sure.
