"And of all the planets that may hold life in this galaxy and others, ours is a beacon of hope for being home to a species of storytellers."

Gleiser writes with the intellect of a scientist and the soul of a poet. I devoured The Dawn of a Mindful Universe slowly and deliberately, stopping to chew on each bite. I know I'm not supposed to, but I took countless screenshots and sent them to my friends. We have had coffee just to discuss the ideas in this book. And it isn't even published yet! We are all planning to buy it when it comes out and read it with highlighters and tabs in hand. Thank you to Marcelo Gleiser, HarperOne, and NetGalley for an eARC.

By the end of this very readable book, you will have a good grasp on the history of scientific thought, current understandings of cosmology, and a new appreciation for life and our particular planet. It is a lot to cram into a few short pages but the writing never feels rushed. Ideas are introduced and expanded on. The writing itself is beautiful. A few favorite phrases:

"Our narratives are the tales this dancing light tells..."
"...we should celebrate our remarkable achievements without trying to transform science into the oracle of final truths about reality."
"When awe colors what we see, reality becomes more magical."
"Life is a collective."
"But the longing for awe as a path for self-growth and transformation is universal, a shared need to connect with the mystery of who we are."

While I am hesitant to say this is precisely what the author intended to say, what I, personally, got out of it is the need to reintroduce awe and wonder as a corrective to the idea that we can science our way out of our current situation. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the amazing publisher for the ARC of this title! I am so grateful to be auto-approved for this title!
I look forward to reading and reviewing. More to come!