What a disappointment. Lots of rave reviews, a high Goodreads rating, and the promise of inciting joy – after reading nearly 100 pages from this 245-page collection of essays I was no closer to joy but ready for a nap.

Meandering writing, rambling footnotes, self-absorbed introspection – it’s a difficult-to-care-about memoir in essay format. I liked the author’s reminiscences of his father, and his descriptions of friends and relatives and their gatherings was interesting, but most of what I read was overly wordy and the writing was convoluted.

This would work as a satisfying journal exercise, but it didn’t resonate for me. I can’t invest any more time when the result is so joyless. ( )

This was a book that certain lines made me pause, wonder, and think. Even from the title, I began meditating on the nature of finding & making joy. There's a line in the last essay about joy being an act of resistance. Each chapter explores a different incitement and there are definitely through lines that Gay weaves in throughout - seeds, growing, connections, community. ( )