A review by hollasan
Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan
5.0
An excellent book- one of my favourite collection of essays along with [b:The Anthropocene Reviewed|55145261|The Anthropocene Reviewed|John Green|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1616514130l/55145261._SY75_.jpg|85964970] by John Green.
The essays are divided into three broad sections. "The power and beauty of quantification" is all about numbers. Part 2 is about conservation of the earth. Some of the facts and figures in part 2 may seem dated because this book was written in the 90s, but there is still so much work to be done with respect to establishing peace in the world and conserving nature that the essays still make for a good read. Part three is where the heart and mind collide. You will find one of the most well written essays about abortion here. The essay about ethics and morality gave me so much to think about.
The little quotation that precedes each chapter is just perfectly selected. My favourite one comes before the chapter "The Gaze of God and the Dripping Faucet" in part 1.
Carl talks about his illness in the last essay and this entire book was published posthumously. This and Ann Druyan's (his wife) epilogue are so sensitive and personal - a most fitting way to end the collection.
The essays are divided into three broad sections. "The power and beauty of quantification" is all about numbers. Part 2 is about conservation of the earth. Some of the facts and figures in part 2 may seem dated because this book was written in the 90s, but there is still so much work to be done with respect to establishing peace in the world and conserving nature that the essays still make for a good read. Part three is where the heart and mind collide. You will find one of the most well written essays about abortion here. The essay about ethics and morality gave me so much to think about.
The little quotation that precedes each chapter is just perfectly selected. My favourite one comes before the chapter "The Gaze of God and the Dripping Faucet" in part 1.
"When you are risen on the eastern horizon
You have filled every land with your beauty . . .
Though you are faraway, your rays are on Earth."
Akhnaton,
Hymn to the Sun circa 1370 B.C.
Carl talks about his illness in the last essay and this entire book was published posthumously. This and Ann Druyan's (his wife) epilogue are so sensitive and personal - a most fitting way to end the collection.
Six times now have I looked Death in the face. And six times Death has averted his gaze and let me pass. Eventually, of course, Death will claim me - as he does each of us. It's only a question of when. And how.
The world is so exquisite, with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better, it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look Death in the eye and to be grateful everyday for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides.