A review by hmwoodward
The Book of Delights by Ross Gay

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

What a truly delightful book. Ross Gay takes you on a journey across a year in his life as he reflects on all the things, both big and small, that bring him delight. Some are mundane and obscure, but they're all so relatable. Part of that relatability is due to human nature, but it is also in large part due to his stream of consciousness writing style. You feel like you are in his head or having a casual conversation over beers on a patio as he shares his stories.

The essays don't hold back from discussing the less delightful things in life as it leads up to what delights him. He covers life and death, capitalism, racism, and more. He doesn't shy away from addressing the way these things can impact you and celebrates the delights in spite of them.

The format of this book was excellent. Each day is captured in a short essay and, since it is a book of delights, always has a happy ending. You don't need to rush through this to enjoy it and don't need to read front to back to enjoy it. The bite-sized nature allows you to come back for more whenever you are ready. 

I would have given this 5 stars even if I had read it in a different period of my life, but I found such comfort in it during an especially hard time here lately.
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