The Science of Last Things: Essays on Deep Time and the Boundaries of the Self

(Paperback, Paperback original)

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Description

• Essays of spiritual insight and scientific wonder
• Author is widely connected across the literary community and an educator at the University of Southern California
• Strong blurbs from Ada Limn, David L. Ulin, and Briallen Hopper
• The books engagement with end of life care, healthmental and physical, life cycleshuman and animal, cancer, science, organic matter, deep time, and ancient philosophy provide opportunities for rich coverage and appeal to a wide readership
• For readers of Helen MacDonald, Margaret Renkl, and Suzzane Roberts

Reviews

Praise for The Science of Last Things"Smart, harrowing, and lyrically powerful, The Science of Last Things celebrates interconnectedness as a way to not just understand how we are made, but how we might come to terms with our own end. Offering a deeply necessary, clear-eyed look at who we are as flesh-and-bone bodies during the climate crisis, this is a book that searches and finds meaning in both the hard truths and the value of wonder." --Ada Limn, 24th Poet Laureate of the United States"In The Science of Last Things, Ellen Wayland-Smith seamlessly blends the life of the body and the life of the mind, writing less about endings per se (although those, as well) than about evanescence, and the understanding that we all must disappear. That this represents both an individual reckoning and a collective one should go without saying, and these essays range widely in angle and approach, addressing the death of Wayland-Smith's father from pancreatic cancer and her own diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, as well as broader social and natural histories. The common thread, of course, is the author's sensibility, which comes to us infused with ideas and language, and a rigorous ability to see things not as we wish them to be but, instead, as they are. What I mean is that there is no false solace here, although there are many consolations. The Science of Last Things is an acute and necessary book."--David L. Ulin, author of Sidewalking"Ellen Wayland-Smith's writing is a magical alchemy of spiritual insight and scientific wonder. She delves into overwhelming mysteries--birth and death, the origin of life and the end of the world--and miraculously finds new meaning in them, responding to personal and planetary loss and decay with radiant reflections that awaken, delight, and console. These essays are an essential companion for life at the end of the world."--Briallen Hopper, author of Hard to Love: Essays & ConfessionsPraise for Oneida"A lively and often entertaining account. [. . .] In Wayland-Smith's extended chronicle, we see utopia as it sails through the world, assaulted on all sides by the forces of assimilation and greed."New Yorker "Wayland-Smith is a gifted writer. Her lively account of how Oneida eventually succumbed to 'the gods of Science and Doubt' is a welcome change from most 'as told by' family histories."New York Times Book Review"Remarkable. [. . .] A detailed, riveting account."The Guardian"Lively. [Wayland-Smith's] nuanced and empathetic book vividly captures the spirit of a brief historical moment."The Boston Globe"[A] fascinating, beautifully-told history."New Republic"An incredible story"WBUR's Here and Now"An intimate, quirky family portrait"The Nation"A gimlet-eyed book about Wayland-Smith's family history"Gawker"Drawing from letters, diaries, newsletters, and family stories, the author, an original-family descendant, adds inside information to this retelling of a radical movement's transformation in the shifting current of American ideals. The narrative is engaging and detailed. This is a must-read for those interested in American social history, and should have broad appeal."Booklist (starred)"[An] impressively thorough and engaging work. [. . .] This book is a fascinating look into the strange history of Oneida silverware and how its origins reflect an exhilarating period of American history."Publishers Weekly (starred)"This compelling narrative seamlessly threads the unlikely alliance between a 'free love utopia' and a household brand name. Fans of Joseph Ellis and David McCullough will appreciate this engrossing entry."Library Journal (starred)"The spotlight Wayland-Smith shines on this remarkable community's beginnings and ending offers a riveting glimpse into the quintessentially American early-19th-century struggle with the rights of the individual and separation of church and state. A smartly contextualized tale of 'the tension between radical social critique and unapologetic accommodation [. . .] between communal harmony and individual striving.'"Kirkus ReviewsPraise for The Angel in the Marketplace"Wayland-Smith's lively history tells the unusual story of pioneering adwoman Jean Wade Rindlaub, who climbed the ladder from secretary to executive in the mid-twentieth century. Wayland-Smith insightfully shows how Rindlaub touted motherhood, home, love, and Christian service as the cornerstones of the free market and free world, but how late in life she became a campaigner for social justice. The Angel in the Marketplace illuminates one woman's journey from advocating traditional notions of women's place and the benefits of capitalism to questioning the underlying message of the ads she produced."--Kathy Peiss, author of Hope in a Jar"The Angel in the Marketplace is a deeply researched history of the American advertising industry told through the life of Jean Wade Rindlaub. It is a portrait of a prolific lady and her eye-catching ads that promoted cutlery, makeup, soaps, and cake mixes to Americans. Wayland-Smith captures the synergy between corporate capitalism and Christianity that animated the world of Madison Avenue ad women and men of the twentieth century. This talented writer delivers sharp analysis of consumer culture from colorful stories of 'copy' she has excavated from the archives."--Michelle Nickerson, author of Mothers of Conservatism

Author Bio

Ellen Wayland-Smith is the author of The Science of Last Things as well as two previous books, Oneida and The Angel in the Marketplace. Her work has appeared in Guernica, Catapult, The Millions, Longreads, The American Scholar, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. She teaches at the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles.