For The Time Being

This personal narrative surveys the panorama of our world, past and present. Here is a natural history of sand, a catalo... (more)

This personal narrative surveys the panorama of our world, past and present. Here is a natural history of sand, a catalogue of clouds, a batch of newborns on an obstetrical ward, a family of Mongol horsemen. Here is the story of Jesuit paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin digging in the deserts of China. Here is the story of Hasidic thought rising in Eastern Europe. Here are defect and beauty together, miracle and tragedy, time and eternity. Dillard poses questions about God, natural evil, and individual existence. Personal experience, science, and religion bear on a welter of fact. How can an individual matter? How might one live? (less)

Award winning author Annie Dillard examines the meaning of life through nature's mysteries and human history. From birth... (more)

Award winning author Annie Dillard examines the meaning of life through nature's mysteries and human history. From birth-defects in both animals and humans to the age-old conflict between religion and science, this exploration into the unknown will both intrigue and enlighten. (less)