{"product_id":"family-meredith-f-small-9798897102068","title":"Family: How the Human Need for Connection Forms and Shapes Our Lives","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eOur Babies, Ourselves \u003c\/i\u003ecomes an illuminating and thought-provoking look at the nature of family across time and cultures.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFamily is the most ubiquitous and persistent human social group. Everyone across the world has a family, even if that family has been lost, broken, or transformed. Acclaimed anthropologist Meredith Small, author of \u003ci\u003eOur Babies, Ourselves\u003c\/i\u003e, examines the very roots of the family and why this particular type of connection is the bedrock of human interaction in all cultures--and how this understanding can help us navigate our rapidly changing world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePrevious books about family are self-help books designed to start, build, or repair broken families. \u003ci\u003eFamily: How the Human Need for Belonging Shapes Our Lives\u003c\/i\u003e is something different. Why do we form families? Why do people place such importance on their family relationships? And what is the reality of family life--does it live up to our expectations? What do families provide for each of us at all the stages of our lives? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSmall takes the reader on a journey from the evolutionary roots and fossil evidence of family three million years ago to its present-day varied expression. Across the globe, various forms of marriage, parenting, and types of family differ from the Western template of a family of Mom+Dad+kids. People have always adapted the notion of family to their own worldview, religious beliefs, and economic necessities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a narrative that is both sweeping and intimate in scale, we see how family is not a fixed notion, but something has evolved with us as a species, from our days as hunter-gatherers to the establishment of agriculture, and later, cities. Family is as varied as the human experience itself. Illuminating and thought-provoking, \u003ci\u003eFamily \u003c\/i\u003eshows how our innately human need for belonging can be drawn upon to navigate the uncertainties of today's world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Meredith F. Small\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798897102068\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pegasus Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/06\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Meredith F. Small","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48997548589311,"sku":"9798897102068","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/family-meredith-f-small-9798897102068","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}