Take a photo of a barcode or cover
371 reviews for:
For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World
Sasha Sagan
4.12 AVERAGE
371 reviews for:
For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World
Sasha Sagan
4.12 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
I am not a non fiction person. But this was poetic and beautiful and thought provoking in a simple and not unpredictable way. I’ll definitely think about it for awhile
A perfectly nice little humanist book about making room for rituals and spirituality in a secular modern lifestyle. It's an important theme; these rituals have sustained humans with and without beliefs for centuries. They are important to living a full life. Sagan's approach in some ways mirrors my own attempts to remake my spirituality as someone who never took to Christianity, although I do tend to lean a little further into paganism/goddess worship. It's not that I believe in their literal existence, but archetypes are useful and as a writer I believe in the power of symbols. What do you want to call into being? What are you grateful for in this one short precious life? Rituals help us stay in touch with these concepts and ground us.
Sagan is more successful in her thoughtful if summary descriptions of the rituals different cultures hold dear than she is in some of her personal anecdotes, although I did appreciate the focus on her beloved father and the way her parents taught her to view the world.
Having said that, it bothered me that she wasn't more candid about the ways in which science is its own religion. The unswerving faith in the scientific method is its own ritual. There are so many magical things about the universe that science cannot (yet) explain to us, and the idea of 'objectivity' as a sacred ideal is nigh impossible when every choice we make and every conclusion we come to is colored by our individual biases. There are many ways of knowing, and science often proves the efficacy of traditional knowledge. I wish Sagan had delved into some of these limitations of her own belief system as she discussed the uncertainty of the universe.
Other little things bugged me, too--her goofy assessment that we 'just need to be more charitable with what we have' really glosses over the systemic evils of capitalism and global corporate dominion, and she oversimplifies the public health crises we face in a somewhat glib and offensive way by saying 'now we just have too much to eat!'
I was also stunned that while the death chapter reminds us that this sun will burn out and our species will inevitably end, Sagan never once mentions climate change and the ways in which we are hastening our own end. Despite these flaws, I did find this book inspiring and the prose was lovely.
Sagan is more successful in her thoughtful if summary descriptions of the rituals different cultures hold dear than she is in some of her personal anecdotes, although I did appreciate the focus on her beloved father and the way her parents taught her to view the world.
Having said that, it bothered me that she wasn't more candid about the ways in which science is its own religion. The unswerving faith in the scientific method is its own ritual. There are so many magical things about the universe that science cannot (yet) explain to us, and the idea of 'objectivity' as a sacred ideal is nigh impossible when every choice we make and every conclusion we come to is colored by our individual biases. There are many ways of knowing, and science often proves the efficacy of traditional knowledge. I wish Sagan had delved into some of these limitations of her own belief system as she discussed the uncertainty of the universe.
Other little things bugged me, too--her goofy assessment that we 'just need to be more charitable with what we have' really glosses over the systemic evils of capitalism and global corporate dominion, and she oversimplifies the public health crises we face in a somewhat glib and offensive way by saying 'now we just have too much to eat!'
I was also stunned that while the death chapter reminds us that this sun will burn out and our species will inevitably end, Sagan never once mentions climate change and the ways in which we are hastening our own end. Despite these flaws, I did find this book inspiring and the prose was lovely.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
DNF’d at 190 pages
Life is too short to read books that you blatantly disliked.
This book had no original ideas to me. Sagan had nothing new or revolutionary to say. It felt like a lecture of her ideals. Also it felt like hearing from that annoying person that just can’t stop talking about themselves all the time. Like you just know if you told her something about your life, instead of actively listening she would come back about something in her life to bring the attention back on herself. I could be wrong but the way this novel can off so preachy without a moments break is the way I got this impression.
I also feel that she might be better off writing fiction. I felt like she knew the basic foundations of science but it would have been more interesting coming from someone who has actually studied it in depth. Just bad vibes all round.
Also that sex chapter was just weird, I felt uncomfortable. Let’s be clear, no one wants to hear about your sex life. It is not just a taboo or sin thing but it also just in general very uncomfortable. I literally cringed and got icky reading it.
That MANY times this woman says ritual makes you shudder, it is just very repetitive word vomit!
Life is too short to read books that you blatantly disliked.
This book had no original ideas to me. Sagan had nothing new or revolutionary to say. It felt like a lecture of her ideals. Also it felt like hearing from that annoying person that just can’t stop talking about themselves all the time. Like you just know if you told her something about your life, instead of actively listening she would come back about something in her life to bring the attention back on herself. I could be wrong but the way this novel can off so preachy without a moments break is the way I got this impression.
I also feel that she might be better off writing fiction. I felt like she knew the basic foundations of science but it would have been more interesting coming from someone who has actually studied it in depth. Just bad vibes all round.
Also that sex chapter was just weird, I felt uncomfortable. Let’s be clear, no one wants to hear about your sex life. It is not just a taboo or sin thing but it also just in general very uncomfortable. I literally cringed and got icky reading it.
That MANY times this woman says ritual makes you shudder, it is just very repetitive word vomit!
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
An interesting look at a unique family dynamic, and a cozy fall-winter read to consider the rituals of upcoming holidays.
Poetically, magically, and spiritually welcoming. I enjoyed this book from it’s first word until it’s last.