Inciting Joy: Essays

Poet Ross Gay shares his thoughts on how we spark joy, especially in times of hardship and suffering. His book of essays includes his fascinating and fun ramblings on gardens, laughter, pickup basketball, dancing, and even falling apart and death. His essays are heavily footnoted, some more footnote than essay, but that is fascinating and fun, too.

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I was expecting inspirational BS about finding joy in everyday life, but Inciting Joy is something much different. Gay finds joy in human connection, and his essays recount times in his life when that connection was most apparent and notable. He doesn't always stay on topic (although his footnotes are interesting) but the book was a joy (sorry) to read. He cites [a:Hanif Abdurraqib 14133519 Hanif Abdurraqib https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1567950898p2/14133519.jpg] as a friend, and anyone who liked [b:They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us 33947154 They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us Hanif Abdurraqib https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499891448l/33947154.SX50.jpg 54916808] will sense that Gay is a kindred spirit.