Bruce Feiler, A Time to Gather

The 35^th Edition of the Book Festival of the MJCCA Presents

Bruce Feiler, A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World –and How It Can Save Us

Author Talk, Q & A & Book Signing

Bruce Feiler, New York Times bestselling author and one of our great decoders of human connection, chronicles the astonishing rise of new rituals around the world—and offers a road map for restoring togetherness with gatherings you’ll love.

Since time immemorial, humans have turned to ritual to connect us in periods of change. Until today. Birth rituals and coming-of-age rituals have plummeted; fewer than half of Americans are married; only one in three is buried. “It took us ten thousand years to establish cultural norms around how we mark collective life transitions,” writes Bruce Feiler. “It took us fifty years to dismantle them.” Can this threat to society be reversed?

To find out, Feiler went on a round-the-world ritual road trip, attending—and participating in—life rituals in 16 countries on six continents. These spectacles, some rarely seen, include a mass baptism in the Vatican, a tribal bride price negotiation in South Africa, an adolescent tooth filing in Bali, six weddings in Las Vegas, and ten funerals in Ireland.

Beyond the decline in traditional rituals, Feiler discovered that we are in the midst of a ritual renaissance that is pushing back against apathy, loneliness, and digital saturation.

Feiler also collected stories of a hundred ritual designers and built a first-of-its kind database of ideas to make gatherings more effective—from creating sacred space to mediating conflict to generating “wows” that guests will talk about forever.

From a master storyteller uncovering a thrilling phenomenon hiding in plain sight, A Time to Gather is both a stirring adventure and practical manual. It’s a landmark guide to modern ritual; a tool kit for turning everyday moments into unforgettable celebrations; and an invitation to reconnect and rejoice—together.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bruce Feiler is one of America’s most thoughtful voices on contemporary life–he uses original research into life transitions, life rituals, and life stories to help people find meaning and purpose in times of change. He is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers, including Life is in the Transitions, The Secrets of Happy Families, Walking the Bible, and Council of Dads. His three TED Talks have been viewed more than five million times; he teaches the Webby Award-winning TED course, How to Master Life Transitions; and he is a fellow at the Stanford Computational Psychology and Well-Being Lab, which is writing an AI large language model based on his work.

Books will be available for purchase on the day of the event from our partner bookseller, A Cappella Books!

All sales are final. Tickets are non-refundable.