The Art of Family: Rituals, Imagination, and Everyday Spirituality [Paperback]

Gina Bria (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 1998

"It is not the lack of time that crushes our family lives, it is the lack of presence, stricken as we are with the tasks, anxieties and guilt of being in a family. But in between what we all struggle with: the parenting, spousing, cleaning up, working, and carving out a minute or two for yourself, how do you give yourself to your children in the conditions you find yourself in? This is how: by being present--not in every moment (we're tired enough!)--but in key activities such as play, spiritual discussions, tender physical attention and little daily rituals that can see us through the pace of life today to a strong, coherent, lived family life."

Gina Bria knows how to talk to families and make them listen and think. With a tone that is at once authoritative and compassionate, she gives us the steps for creating families that withstand the pressures of modern society. The key is to create a personal family culture around the domestic rituals associated with family, such as making your home your true haven from the outside world, really understanding how to play with your children and in your marriage, caring for each others' bodies--young and old, and finding a spiritual path to travel together. In essence, Bria shows us how to assign particular and special meaning to the everyday tasks that make up our home life and in so doing, build a family that can withstand the daily example of conformity, rejection and disillusion.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A mother, anthropologist, and affiliate fellow at the Center for the Study of Young Children at Columbia University, Bria considers personal identity to be defined not by what we do for a living or the roles we play but by the quality of our relationships, which begin at home. She argues that the key to our children's growth as well as our own lies in the balance between being present for our children and keeping our own passions alive and thus teaching our children that they can nurture multiple interests and identities. This is a refreshing change from most parenting how-to books that list ways to spend quality time with our children. It is a humorous, wise, and beautifully written reflection on the sacredness of family relationships and on the particular elements that nourish spiritual awareness in family life.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

"It is not the lack of time that crushes our family lives, it is the lack of presence, stricken as we are with the tasks, anxieties and guilt of being in a family. But in between what we all struggle with: the parenting, spousing, cleaning up, working, and carving out a minute or two for yourself, how do you give yourself to your children in the conditions you find yourself in? This is how: by being present--not in every moment (we're tired enough!)--but in key activities such as play, spiritual discussions, tender physical attention and little daily rituals that can see us through the pace of life today to a strong, coherent, lived family life."

Gina Bria knows how to talk to families and make them listen and think. With a tone that is at once authoritative and compassionate, she gives us the steps for creating families that withstand the pressures of modern society. The key is to create a personal family culture around the domestic rituals associated with family, such as making your home your true haven from the outside world, really understanding how to play with your children and in your marriage, caring for each others' bodies--young and old, and finding a spiritual path to travel together. In essence, Bria shows us how to assign particular and special meaning to the everyday tasks that make up our home life and in so doing, build a family that can withstand the daily example of conformity, rejection and disillusion.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Dell (May 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440507723
• ISBN-13: 978-0440507727
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,163,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking and insightful., October 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Family: Rituals, Imagination, and Everyday Spirituality (Paperback)

The Art of Family is one of the most thought-provoking and insightful books I've ever read. Through delightful, sometimes funny, and often poignant stories the author demonstrates how incorporating rituals, imagination and spirituality into everyday living can make for a fuller and richer family experience. This is a book I savored. Each paragraph gave me moment to pause and reflect. I have recommended this book to my friends, family members, and to those with whom I work. Everyone can get something out of this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Family is a gift of love!, June 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Family: Rituals, Imagination, and Everyday Spirituality (Paperback)

While reading this book, you'll wish, like I do, that you were luckly enough to have the author in your own family, so inspirational are her stories! But she doesn't write a "formula" to happier family lives--instead, she describes with wit and much love the kinds of rituals, events, and attitudes that help families and their members create meaning for themselves, for entire lives. Using her unique perspective and her anthropologist's training in observing people, she blends the wisdom of her own experience (and those of her family and friends) with her knowledge of other cultures and traditions, from which we can learn a great deal. This book's hilarious and touching examples have given me the courage to actively contemplate and begin planning how my family's life together can be richer and more rewarding.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful, heartwarming book for families and singles!!!, June 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Family: Rituals, Imagination, and Everyday Spirituality (Paperback)

I have the pleasure of working with Gina in a children's program. I enjoy my time with her and was happy she put her wisdom into a book for me to have at all times. I have given this book to my sister and my friend who is pregnant for the first time. I recommend not only to people with families but to people like me whose friends are family. The book added a quality and richness to my everyday life. How I interact with people is forever changed...