Ross Gay's Book of Delights

Ross Gay’s Book of Delights is a book of short little chapters and poetic musings, that the author wrote throughout one year of his life. He challenged himself to write down something that delighted him every day and this book is the result.
After a year of adjusting to life in a global pandemic I found this book to be a refreshing reminder to enjoy the little things and be mindful of the beauty and joy in the world. Ross Gay takes particular note of the natural world – his garden, insects, animals – and describes them with poetic beauty. I found a lot of joy in my garden last year, and these chapters really spoke to me.

I first heard about this book on the podcast This American Life, on an episode they called ‘The Show of Delights’. The episode was inspired by Gay’s book, and contains excerpts read out throughout the episode. They framed this podcast episode as ‘radical counterprogramming’ in dark and combative times. So, if you would like a taste of the book before reading the whole thing this would be a great episode to listen to.

I would highly recommend reading The book of delights and listening to The show of delights. Both bring a spirit of joy and mindfulness to everyday occurrences that can be invigorating and refreshing amidst a depressing news cycle.  Some of my favourite delights in the book are those about plants and gardening. There is one story about carrying a tomato seedling through an airport and on a plane that really tickled me. I grew tomatoes over summer, some I got as seedlings from friends, others I germinated from seed myself and I spoke to them all like my little babies. Gardening, and talking to tomatoes might not be your thing but there is a little something for everyone in this book!

Rosanna