12/16/2025
We’re proud to announce A TIME TO GATHER by Bruce Feiler, #1 New York Times best-selling author and one of our great decoders of human connection. Humans have always turned to ritual to connect us in periods of change—yet in recent decades, many of these traditions have disappeared. “It took us ten thousand years to establish cultural norms around how we mark collective life transitions,” Feiler writes. “It took us fifty years to dismantle them.”
Can this threat to society be reversed? To find out, Feiler embarks on a round-the-world ritual road trip, attending life rituals in sixteen countries on six continents, from a mass baptism in the Vatican to weddings in Las Vegas and funerals in Ireland. Alongside the decline of traditional rituals, he uncovers a ritual renaissance, as everyday people reimagine how we gather around life, love, health, and family in response to loneliness and digital saturation.
Both a stirring adventure and a practical manual, A Time to Gather is a landmark guide to modern ritual—a toolkit for turning everyday moments into unforgettable celebrations, and an invitation to reconnect and rejoice together. On sale May 19.
