Ross Gay’s “The Book of (More) Delights”

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Ross Gay joins Eric Newman and Medaya Ocher to talk about his latest, book, The Book of (More) Delights, a second installment of The Book of Delights, published before Ross, us, and the world were plunged into the COVID-19 pandemic. Like its predecessor, The Book of (More) Delights features a collection of short essays that bring into focus the small wonders we so often overlook in our busy lives. Among them are the wonders of a neighbor’s fruit tree, a discovery of self-maturation in an impromptu pickup ball game, and appreciating the toothy feel of a stolen notebook. Moving between the intimate record of Ross’s quotidian experiences and the larger political, social, and philosophical questions that saturate and surround them, The Book of (More) Delights revels in the everyday joy—and sometimes the pain and horror—of a world right at our fingertips… if only we’d take the time to notice it.

Also, Thea Lenarduzzi, author of Dandelions, returns to recommend A Life by Guy de Maupassant, translated by Roger Pearson.