The Book of Delights Audiobook By Ross Gay cover art

The Book of Delights

Essays

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The Book of Delights

By: Ross Gay
Narrated by: Ross Gay
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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 collection 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. 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.

©2019 Ross Gay (P)2018 Recorded Books African American Studies Americas Black & African American Essays Social Sciences Specific Demographics United States Nonfiction Feel-Good Funny Heartfelt Witty

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A few crude parts which, for me, added to the delight. Easy funny moving read.

Truly a delight

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Yes, it is certainly cliché to call the book of delights absolutely delightful however, that is just what this book is.
If you like short prose, interesting words and authenticity, this book is for you.

Absolutely delightful

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I enjoy the Book of Delights and often give it as a gift. I got the audio book to listen to at work as a way squeeze in a few smiles and remind me to be delighted everyday. However, hearing Ross Gay read - the cadence of his voice along with the infections made the book even more delightful. #TotallyDelighted

Ross Gay Reading Makes It Better

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but poetry to lift your attitude every single day every single time I listen. thank you Ross for everything in your life that brought you to the place to be able to write this book.

like poetry to lift

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What. A. Privilege and a delight to listen to this compilation of essays. My heart is lighter. And my days are brighter.

Good for the soul. Good for the ears.

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It’s everything you didn’t know you needed to hear. Stop going through life on autopilot. This book takes you on a journey and opens your eyes to all of the delights you may be missing. I’m hooked on Ross Gay’s books!

Sigh :)

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This book makes you want to seek pleasure in normal daily occurrences that you may not usually notice or bring awareness to. An investigation of joy. It made me want to start my own book of delights.

Inspiring

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I found several of the essays truly delightful! Others, not so much. The author's performance was very good. I just ordered one of his poetry books.

A bit uneven.

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I graduated from IU just a few years ago, so I knew of Ross Gay, though I never took his classes — too busy trying to cram two degrees into four years — but I regret that. When the world is full of more loss and sorrow than I can often bear, I turn to these delights. There is a particularly nostalgia, delight, here for me — reflecting on Darn Good Soup (lost to Covid-19) and the curious Protestantism of the dogwoods. Kin, kind, I love you, Book of Delights.

Will carry in my soul

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this is a book I'm sure I'll be revisiting over and over. it's was a joy to get lost in and a dose of pleasantness Everytime I listened to it

such a treat

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