Ross gay the book of delights
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Gay has written four books of poetry and two collections of essays including The Book of Delights, which was a New York Times Bestseller. Intensely personal, wise, witty and sensuous, these glimpses of life through Gay’s perceptive eyes aren’t merely an introduction to his unique world. Some essays deal with this theme directly by studying the definition of joy and the role it plays in relationships.
His poetry collection Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude won the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. . . His is a meditation on delight that takes a clear-eyed view of the complexities, even the terrors, in his life, including living in America as a black man; the ecological and psychic violence of our consumer culture; the loss of those he loves.
The Book of Delights is a unique study of the delights found in everyday life and the implications of living a life dedicated to joy and gratitude.
The winner of the NBCC Award for Poetry offers up a spirited collection of short lyric essays, written daily over a tumultuous year, reminding us of the purpose and pleasure of praising, extolling, and celebrating ordinary wonders.
Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights is a genre-defying book of essays—some as short as a paragraph; some as long as five pages—that record the small joys that occurred in one year, from birthday to birthday, and that we often overlook in our busy lives.
The result of Gay’s recordings is a collection of autobiographical, philosophical, and socio-political reflections. This is an illuminating and necessary meditation that unravels masculinity, race, tenderness, strength . Gay’s rambling thoughts explore the symbiotic relationship between grief and joy, share his experience as a Black man in the United States, and find examples of the inherent goodness of humanity and the connection between all people.
By recounting stories from his childhood and sharing stories of the inevitable emotional turmoil he’s experienced, Gay explores how grief does not detract from joy, but highlights it.
Gay finds delight in flowers, gardens, old and new friends, music, books, coffee, bugs, and more.
. More than anything else, though, Gay celebrates the beauty of the natural world–his garden, the flowers peeking out of the sidewalk, the hypnotic movements of a praying mantis. Something that implies that the more you study delight, the more delight there is to study.”
It’s that encouragement that makes THE BOOK OF DELIGHTS such an inspiring, life-affirming volume.
This is a glimpse into a year of an artist’s life, dazzling with wit, wisdom and heart. Though politically themed essays don’t dominate, he chooses his targets with care, and hits them when he does.
A piece about his love for “weird vernacular sayings that roll off the tongue” that focuses on “I need x like I need a hole in the head” is illustrative.
. No matter the emotional timbre, Gay’s thoughts unfurl with a lush beauty, delight the terroir of the writing and reading alike." — Orion
"Everyone could use a bit more delight in their days (particularly during the doldrums of winter) and Gay, who is the winner of the NBCC Award for Poetry, is here to provide just that, with essays celebrating everything from air quotes to candy wrappers to pickup basketball games." — New York Post
"Gay’s journey ambles back and forth in time.
He remains dedicated to finding delight even in difficult experiences and discovers things to celebrate during his anxiety and paranoia.
Lastly, in nearly every essay, Gay celebrates the inherent goodness of humanity and finds more proof in the common decency of people. The Book of Delights introduces themes such as the symbiotic relationship between joy and grief, Gay’s experience as a Black man in the United States, and the inherent goodness of humanity.
.This little book is a summer companion — it will make it summer no matter the season." — The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Gay’s zest for life bursts forth on almost every page." —Bookreporter
"It’s hard not to reach for religious language when describing Gay’s work. There is, indeed, a great pleasure to be unearthed.” — Hanif Abdurraqib, author of They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us
“The Book of Delights is a joy explosion .
While there is no consistent structure to the essays, certain themes emerge. It’s hard to read Gay and not to be won over.” —TheSeattle Times
"I was lucky enough to go to a writer camp led by Cheryl Strayed years ago, and on this camp, we talked about “glimmers”: noticing the beautiful or note-worthy things in everyday life, and using them as inspiration for insightful or beautiful writing.