Praise FOR SMALL CREATURES SUCH AS WE:
“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
“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)
“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
“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
“Welcoming and tender. . . Charming and appealing, this thoughtful work serves as an uplifting, life-honoring celebration of human existence.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Blends science and spirituality . . . drawing from a variety of anthropological, historical, and religious works, Sagan’s chapters are devoted to the essential characteristics of being human: rituals and celebrations relating to birth and death, people and relationships. . . A potentially transformative read for anyone looking to embrace [Sagan’s] invocation to lead a more connected life.”
—Library Journal
“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 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
“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