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372 reviews for:
For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World
Sasha Sagan
4.12 AVERAGE
372 reviews for:
For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World
Sasha Sagan
4.12 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I won a copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a sweet and interesting little book, a memoir of Sagan’s parents and upbringing and a social history of how human beings have marked things. It’s not exactly what I thought it would be—I was expecting a kind of step-by-step guide to creating your own rituals—but it’s better; the elements are there to allow you to do that but it’s really left up to you, not Pinterested in little boxes for you.
This is a sweet and interesting little book, a memoir of Sagan’s parents and upbringing and a social history of how human beings have marked things. It’s not exactly what I thought it would be—I was expecting a kind of step-by-step guide to creating your own rituals—but it’s better; the elements are there to allow you to do that but it’s really left up to you, not Pinterested in little boxes for you.
informative
inspiring
I thought this was a very thoughtful book describing options for secular rituals.
The thesis of this book is that it’s important to mark and commemorate “sacred” moments in our life even if we do not believe in God.
Birth, death, the changing of the seasons all deserve to be celebrated.
Sasha Sagan also talks about how you can view the world as even more beautiful if you believe it’s all random. That beauty and loveliness emerges from the chaos is also something to be celebrated.
I also loved the idea to create our own rituals like a month book club or a weekly dinner with friends.
Notes: Sasha Sagan is a secular Jewish woman and the book primarily takes place in NYC and Ithica, NY.
The thesis of this book is that it’s important to mark and commemorate “sacred” moments in our life even if we do not believe in God.
Birth, death, the changing of the seasons all deserve to be celebrated.
Sasha Sagan also talks about how you can view the world as even more beautiful if you believe it’s all random. That beauty and loveliness emerges from the chaos is also something to be celebrated.
I also loved the idea to create our own rituals like a month book club or a weekly dinner with friends.
Notes: Sasha Sagan is a secular Jewish woman and the book primarily takes place in NYC and Ithica, NY.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Sagan has such a unique outlook on life, secular/religious practices, and philosophy, and it truly was incredible going through this book and learning about her life. It had me tearing up at some parts, for sure. This book is extremely inspiring, and it's making me think more about the beauty of life and time and other people than any other self-help book I've read. I jive with her philosophy so much!! I've only been in the nine-to-five drudgery for a few years now, and I think this was a perfect time to read this book. I feel motivated to revitalize the way I think about the passage of time and want to intentionally celebrate what's come to pass/what will inevitably pass.
Sasha Sagan's forthcoming book deftly combines memoir, history, theology, philosophy and science into an Atheist/ Agnostic guidebook for creating and celebrating rituals to enhance a meaningful, connected life. Sagan draws upon the legacy and lessons of her parents to make the case for the miraculousness of coincidence and the natural universe.
It is truly refreshing to read a book that makes the case for a humanist, atheist worldview that is not fatalistic or condescending but includes wonder, ritual, tradition and moral grounding.
https://upmygalley.com/
Published 9/5/19
9:00 AM EST
It is truly refreshing to read a book that makes the case for a humanist, atheist worldview that is not fatalistic or condescending but includes wonder, ritual, tradition and moral grounding.
https://upmygalley.com/
Published 9/5/19
9:00 AM EST
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This is a great book for finding the beauty in everyday life, whether you’re secular or religious. Sagan highlights how humans have celebrated our existence for centuries across all cultures in the form of rituals, inspiring us to come up with a few rituals of my own and take the time to wonder about the universe.
I admire how she targets every potential audience from different backgrounds and encourages us to try incorporating these rituals into our lives, whether we’re thinking up new ones or acknowledging/recreating rituals established by our ancestors or other cultures.
A very quick but valuable read. The discussion with the author at the end is also worth reading!
I admire how she targets every potential audience from different backgrounds and encourages us to try incorporating these rituals into our lives, whether we’re thinking up new ones or acknowledging/recreating rituals established by our ancestors or other cultures.
A very quick but valuable read. The discussion with the author at the end is also worth reading!
(I don’t rate memoirs below a 4 star because I think it takes a lot of courage to be this vulnerable and share your life story. So for me 4-4.25 is good, 4.5-4.75 is great, 5.0 is fantastic.)
reflective
medium-paced