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375 reviews for:
For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World
Sasha Sagan
4.11 AVERAGE
375 reviews for:
For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World
Sasha Sagan
4.11 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
There is so much beauty and magic in the natural world around us to admire and there are natural cycles and rituals that we can enjoy to connect with others and the world. I was definitely a little nostalgic and emotional as she spoke about her parents, but she also has her own unique voice that shines through. Highly recommended.
hopeful
informative
reflective
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This book spoke to me and as a sociologist it was SO interesting. What a lovely and honest book. Thank you, Sasha.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
if you are devoutly religious, firstly, I'm delighted you're reading this. thank you. if you have total conviction about your faith, you have plenty to celebrate already. this book is not intended to dissuade you, only to increase what there is to be joyful about.
if you are, like me, something else, maybe some combination of the words secular, non-believing, agnostic, atheist, or possibly pagan, my hope is that this book might help separate skepticism from pessimism. i don't think that faith is a requirement to see a world full of provable miracles and profound meaning. i also don't think lack of faith means you must give up your most beloved rituals. there is a way to honor your traditions and your ancestors without feeling you are just going through the motions.
it was really nice to be reminded that we must see the extraordinary beauty in what we regard as ordinary. also, im going through a sort of grieving process and this book helped a lot.
A beautiful, poignant and sometimes sad story about a woman's love and respect for her parents and her attempts to try and find happiness, wisdom and wonder despite her secularity.
Full of lovely advice about how to make every day special even if you're not religious and a wonderful excuse to start creating special traditions all of your own.
Well worth the read and a lovely insight into Sasha Sagan's wonderful and brilliant father, Carl, seen here through the eyes of his adoring daughter who loves and misses him very much.
Full of lovely advice about how to make every day special even if you're not religious and a wonderful excuse to start creating special traditions all of your own.
Well worth the read and a lovely insight into Sasha Sagan's wonderful and brilliant father, Carl, seen here through the eyes of his adoring daughter who loves and misses him very much.
This book is pretty much an autobiography whose main theme is how amazing the world/the universe/reality is from a secular, skeptical point of view. And it does a good job at those things! Sasha Sagan is a very good storyteller, making the events she writes about very engaging. She also conveys very well that reality, in all its unlikeliness, is wonderful and the cause of much awe.
The theme of rituals, though, is somewhat secondary, mostly the underlying context that ties the chapters together. Maybe the book's title (along with its description on the back cover) was a bit misleading; it made me expect more practical insights and tips of potential secular rituals or habits to incorporate in everyday life to make existence more beautiful. It does have a couple of ideas that the reader can adopt, but, as far as rituals go, the book mostly mentions costumes of different cultures, religions, and eras, as well as some of the author's personal rituals. This is, of course, really interesting, and the title ("Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World") does fit the book's content pretty well in hindsight.
Overall, the book is a pleasant, fluid read that gives you a sense of wholesomeness.
The theme of rituals, though, is somewhat secondary, mostly the underlying context that ties the chapters together. Maybe the book's title (along with its description on the back cover) was a bit misleading; it made me expect more practical insights and tips of potential secular rituals or habits to incorporate in everyday life to make existence more beautiful. It does have a couple of ideas that the reader can adopt, but, as far as rituals go, the book mostly mentions costumes of different cultures, religions, and eras, as well as some of the author's personal rituals. This is, of course, really interesting, and the title ("Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World") does fit the book's content pretty well in hindsight.
Overall, the book is a pleasant, fluid read that gives you a sense of wholesomeness.
This is the first non-fiction book I've finished since February, so I am pretty excited about that! I found this book really touching and lovely. I have two critcisms: one is that although Sasha acknowledges that there isn't a gender binary (in one or two different areas of the book), she continues to write as if there is - especially in regards to her language around menstruation. second is that every time I see people (educated, voraciously curious people!) dismiss astrology as basically a woefully foolish personality test, they never actually... properly describe how system of astrology? I've seen it a few times. There are plenty of resources (Steven Forrest and Chani Nicholas to name only two in a veritable treasure trove of astrology scholars), if you're actually curious in ways the system is organized and interpreted. Otherwise, a great read for some perspective and wonderment!
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced