Reviews
"How often have you asked yourself: What is the meaning of life? Sasha Sagan finds its meaning everywhere--with her family, around the world, and especially among the stars of the cosmos. Read her work; you'll have a deeper appreciation for your every step, every bite, and every breath." -- Bill Nye, author of Everything All At Once and CEO of The Planetary Society "She's Carl Sagan's daughter, and it shows. . . . Her style seems to inherit something from that grand master of scientific prose poetry. While never for a moment departing from secular physicalism, she makes a lyrical case for ritual , marking out the rhythms of life from birth to death. A charming book, ringing with the joy of existence." -- Richard Dawkins, New York Times bestselling author of An Appetite for Wonder and The Greatest Show on Earth "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, A Million Years in a Day: A Curious History of Everyday Life from the Stone Age to the Phone Age "Sagan encourages us, as grown-up children of this world, to create for ourselves and each other previously unimagined life-honoring and life-enhancing celebrations and rites of passage more attuned to our own deepest truths and heart's desires. And on this path she introduces us to and vividly portrays five generations of her extraordinary family. . . . A lucent, lovingly written, and joyous book." --Jonathan Cott, author of There's A Mystery There: The Primal Vision of Maurice Sendak, "How often have you asked yourself: What is the meaning of life? Sasha Sagan finds its meaning everywhere--with her family, around the world, and especially among the stars of the cosmos. Read her work; you'll have a deeper appreciation for your every step, every bite, and every breath." -- Bill Nye, author of Everything All At Once and CEO of The Planetary Society "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, A Million Years in a Day: A Curious History of Everyday Life from the Stone Age to the Phone Age "Sagan encourages us, as grown-up children of this world, to create for ourselves and each other previously unimagined life-honoring and life-enhancing celebrations and rites of passage more attuned to our own deepest truths and heart's desires. And on this path she introduces us to and vividly portrays five generations of her extraordinary family. . . . A lucent, lovingly written, and joyous book." --Jonathan Cott, author of There's A Mystery There: The Primal Vision of Maurice Sendak, "How often have you asked yourself: What is the meaning of life? Sasha Sagan finds its meaning everywhere--with her family, around the world, and especially among the stars of the cosmos. Read her work; you'll have a deeper appreciation for your every step, every bite, and every breath." -- Bill Nye, author of Everything All At Once "She's Carl Sagan's daughter, and it shows. . . . Her style seems to inherit something from that grand master of scientific prose poetry. While never for a moment departing from secular physicalism, she makes a lyrical case for ritual , marking out the rhythms of life from birth to death. A charming book, ringing with the joy of existence." -- Richard Dawkins, author of An Appetite for Wonder and The Greatest Show on Earth "Offers ethereal wisdom and worldly guidance . . . Sagan's debut, a lushly written amalgam of memoir and manual, traces her life as the daughter of Carl and writer/producer Ann Druyan and how she came to appreciate the wonder in the everyday. . . Profound, elegantly written ruminations on the exquisite splendors of life enjoyed through a secular lens." -- Kirkus Reviews "This brief, beautiful book is the vulnerable story of Sagan's experience as a daughter and granddaughter, a wife and mother; but it also offers a tangible and practical way for people to tell our own family and community stories more meaningfully. . . .Sasha represents one of the best possible scenarios for the future of humanism: a wise and passionate young woman thinking with love and creativity about how we can design secular lives of beauty and justice, together." --Greg Epstein, author of Good Without God "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 "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 "Sagan encourages us, as grown-up children of this world, to create for ourselves and each other previously unimagined life-honoring and life-enhancing celebrations and rites of passage more attuned to our own deepest truths and heart's desires. And on this path she introduces us to and vividly portrays five generations of her extraordinary family. . . . A lucent, lovingly written, and joyous book." --Jonathan Cott, author of There's A Mystery There, "How often have you asked yourself: What is the meaning of life? Sasha Sagan finds its meaning everywhere--with her family, around the world, and especially among the stars of the cosmos. Read her work; you'll have a deeper appreciation for your every step, every bite, and every breath." -- Bill Nye, author of Everything All At Once "From birthdays to funerals to the changing of the seasons to lunar cycles, [Sagan] thoughtfully explores how to blend science and spirituality. An eye-opening book for those who might question traditional religious celebrations but feel connected to the community, rituals, and comforts they provide, this is a refreshing, intelligent examination of faith, religion, and the many wonders of science worthy of celebration." -- Booklist (starred review) "She's Carl Sagan's daughter, and it shows. . . . Her style seems to inherit something from that grand master of scientific prose poetry. While never for a moment departing from secular physicalism, she makes a lyrical case for ritual , marking out the rhythms of life from birth to death. A charming book, ringing with the joy of existence." -- Richard Dawkins, author of An Appetite for Wonder and The Greatest Show on Earth "Offers ethereal wisdom and worldly guidance . . . Sagan's debut, a lushly written amalgam of memoir and manual, traces her life as the daughter of Carl and writer/producer Ann Druyan and how she came to appreciate the wonder in the everyday. . . Profound, elegantly written ruminations on the exquisite splendors of life enjoyed through a secular lens." -- Kirkus Reviews "This brief, beautiful book is the vulnerable story of Sagan's experience as a daughter and granddaughter, a wife and mother; but it also offers a tangible and practical way for people to tell our own family and community stories more meaningfully. . . .Sasha represents one of the best possible scenarios for the future of humanism: a wise and passionate young woman thinking with love and creativity about how we can design secular lives of beauty and justice, together." --Greg Epstein, author of Good Without God "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 "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 "Sagan encourages us, as grown-up children of this world, to create for ourselves and each other previously unimagined life-honoring and life-enhancing celebrations and rites of passage more attuned to our own deepest truths and heart's desires. And on this path she introduces us to and vividly portrays five generations of her extraordinary family. . . . A lucent, lovingly written, and joyous book." --Jonathan Cott, author of There's A Mystery There
