A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World—and How It Can Save Us

A Brooklyn “grieving and weaving” circle, a forest bathing session in Chile, and a group baptism at the Vatican are just some of the gatherings attended by bestseller Feiler (The Search) in this spirited meditation on rituals. Seeking to discover “what still holds us together” in a world of increasing alienation, the author travels the globe, observing a diverse range of practices and interviewing experts. What he finds is not a “celebration recession” but rather a “ritual revival,” with many people around the world rethinking what rituals can look like. Those spotlighted range from the “millennium-old” Balinese coming-of-age custom matatah, “the ceremonial act of shaving down... an individual’s twelve front teeth,” to Taylor Swift–themed divorce parties. Most movingly, the author profiles individuals who have created new rituals to match their experiences, including Missy Holliday, who pioneered “honor walks” for organ donors after her sister’s sudden death and donation. Though Feiler sometimes waxes florid (“Rituals curate symbols into meaningful experiences that form the alphabet of intimacy and the grammar of coexistence”), he offers strong proof that rituals foster community and connection. Even the typical familial arguments over weddings and funerals, the author astutely shows, work to “force families to address... underlying conflicts.” It’s a powerful case for the continued importance of ritual at a time of disconnection and division. (May)