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The Book of Delights

The life-affirming New York Times bestseller
By Ross Gay
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Book of Delights, Ross Gay shares a collection of essays reflecting on small joys and the beauty found in everyday life. Through keen observation and a philosophical lens, Gay celebrates moments of delight, inviting readers to appreciate the often-overlooked pleasures in the world around them. This book offers an uplifting and introspective exploration of happiness and gratitude.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2499
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This collection of essays may appeal to you if you enjoy heartfelt reflections on the beauty in everyday life. Written by Ross Gay, it offers a series of short, joyful meditations that encourage mindfulness and appreciation of small wonders, perfect for readers interested in thoughtful explorations of art and culture.

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The New York Times bestselling essay collection about finding delight every day of your life

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
'Pure balm for your soul. Savor one at a time every morning, this summer, or wolf them all down en masse on a gorgeous sunny day.' CELESTE NG, author of Little Fires Everywhere

A heart-warming and joyful collection of short lyric essays, reminding us of the purpose and pleasure of praising, extolling, and celebrating ordinary wonders.

Among Gay's funny and philosophical delights: a friend's unabashed use of air quotes, cradling a tomato seedling aboard an aeroplane, the silent nod of acknowledgement between the only two black people in a room.

Gay never dismisses the complexities, even the terrors, of living in the world as a black man, or the ecological and psychic violence of our consumer culture, or the loss of those we loves. But more than anything, Gay celebrates the beauty of the natural world - his garden, the flowers peeking out of the sidewalk, the hypnotic movements of a praying mantis.

The Book of Delights is about our shared bonds, and the rewards that come from a life closely observed. and serves as a powerful and necessary reminder that we can, and should, stake out a space in our lives for delight.

'These charming, digressive "essayettes" surprise and challenge more than a reader might expect . . . experiences of "delight," recorded daily for a year, vary widely but yield revealing patterns through insights about everything from nature and the body to race and masculinity.' New Yorker

'The delights he extols here (music, laughter, generosity, poetry, lots of nature) are bulwarks against casual cruelties . . . contagious in their joy' New York Times

'A reminder of what the personal essay is best at: finding the profound in the mundane . . . His delight is infectious. It's hard to read Gay and not to be won over.' Seattle Times

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Book of Delights by Ross Gay receives high praise for its collection of charming and digressive essays that evoke joy and serve as a poignant counter to life's challenges. Critics appreciate Gay's ability to turn everyday occurrences like gardening, laughter, and simple greetings into profound reflections on race, masculinity, and human connection. His prose is seen as both magical and carefully crafted, offering a contagious optimism that is both essential and uplifting. Gay's essays are recommended for their warmth and sincerity, encouraging readers to find joy in the small, often-overlooked moments of life.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529349771

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 08 September 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Coronet Books

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 203g

Pages: 288

Collections

Arts & Culture Biography & Memoir Education & Reference Non-Fiction Philosophy & Psychology Philosophy & Stoicism Ross Gay

About the Author

Ross Gay is the author of The Book of Delights, a genre-defying book of essays, and three books of poetry: Against Which, Bringing the Shovel Down, and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. He is also the co-author, with Aimee Nezhukumatathil, of the chapbook "Lace and Pyrite: Letters from Two Gardens," in addition to being co-author, with Richard Wehrenberg, Jr., of the chapbook, "River." He is a founding editor, with Karissa Chen and Patrick Rosal, of the online sports magazine Some Call it Ballin', in addition to being an editor with the chapbook presses Q Avenue and Ledge Mule Press. Ross is a founding board member of the Bloomington Community Orchard, a non-profit, free-fruit-for-all food justice and joy project. He has received fellowships from Cave Canem, the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference, and the Guggenheim Foundation. Ross teaches at Indiana University.

Also by Ross Gay

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  • The Book of (More) Delights
    From bestselling author of The Book of Delights and award-winning poet Ross Gay, a fresh new volume of lyrical mini-essays celebrating the everyday that will inspire readers to rediscover the joys in the world around us. The author of the New York Times bestselling The Book of Delights is back with a new record of small wonders—and it is exactly...
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  • Lace & Pyrite
    Lace & Pyrite: Letters from Two Gardens was originally published by Organic Weapon Arts in 2014. It captures seasonal changes and life unfolding from the perspective of two gardens: Ross Gay and Aimee Nezhukumatathil. What began as an unprompted poem correspondence between the two poets in the late July swelter of 2011 blossomed into a beautiful collection of epistolary poetry....
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  • Book of Delights Esssays
    Book of Delights Esssays
    As Heard on NPR's This American Life: The New York Times bestselling book that celebrates ordinary delights in the world around us by one of America's most original and observant writers and the author of Inciting Joy, award-winning poet Ross Gay. Pre-order The Book of (More) Delights now, too! "Ross Gay's eye lands upon wonder at every turn, bolstering my...
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