The Science of Last Things

Praise for The Science of Last Things “Smart, harrowing, and lyrically powerful, The Science of Last Things celebrates interconnectedness as a way to not just understand how we are made, but how we might come to terms with our own end. Offering a deeply necessary, clear-eyed look at who we are as flesh-and-bone bodies during the climate crisis, this is a book that searches and finds meaning in both the hard truths and the value of wonder.” —Ada Limón, 24th Poet Laureate of the United States “In The Science of Last Things, Ellen Wayland-Smith seamlessly blends the life of the body and the life of the mind, writing less about endings per se (although those, as well) than about evanescence, and the understanding that we all must disappear. That this represents both an individual reckoning and a collective one should go without saying, and these essays range widely in angle and approach, addressing the death of Wayland-Smith's father from pancreatic cancer and her own diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, as well as broader social and natural histories. The common thread, of course, is the author's sensibility, which comes to us infused with ideas and language, and a rigorous ability to see things not as we wish them to be but, instead, as they are. What I mean is that there is no false solace here, although there are many consolations. The Science of Last Things is an acute and necessary book.”—David L. Ulin, author of Sidewalking “Ellen Wayland-Smith’s writing is a magical alchemy of spiritual insight and scientific wonder. She delves into overwhelming mysteries—birth and death, the origin of life and the end of the world—and miraculously finds new meaning in them, responding to personal and planetary loss and decay with radiant reflections that awaken, delight, and console. These essays are an essential companion for life at the end of the world.”—Briallen Hopper, author of Hard to Love: Essays & Confessions Praise for Oneida “A lively and often entertaining account. [. . .] In Wayland-Smith’s extended chronicle, we see utopia as it sails through the world, assaulted on all sides by the forces of assimilation and greed.”―New Yorker  “Wayland-Smith is a gifted writer. Her lively account of how Oneida eventually succumbed to ‘the gods of Science and Doubt’ is a welcome change from most ‘as told by’ family histories.”―New York Times Book Review “Drawing from letters, diaries, newsletters, and family stories, the author, an original-family descendant, adds inside information to this retelling of a radical movement’s transformation in the shifting current of American ideals. The narrative is engaging and detailed. This is a must-read for those interested in American social history, and should have broad appeal.”―Booklist (starred) “[An] impressively thorough and engaging work. [. . .] This book is a fascinating look into the strange history of Oneida silverware and how its origins reflect an exhilarating period of American history.”―Publishers Weekly (starred) “This compelling narrative seamlessly threads the unlikely alliance between a ‘free love utopia’ and a household brand name. Fans of Joseph Ellis and David McCullough will appreciate this engrossing entry.”―Library Journal (starred) “The spotlight Wayland-Smith shines on this remarkable community’s beginnings and ending offers a riveting glimpse into the quintessentially American early-19th-century struggle with the rights of the individual and separation of church and state. A smartly contextualized tale of ‘the tension between radical social critique and unapologetic accommodation [. . .] between communal harmony and individual striving.’”―Kirkus Reviews