Book description
A collection of gorgeously written and timely pieces in which prize-winning poet and author Ross Gay considers the joy we incite when we care for each other, especially during life's inevitable hardships.
In "We Kin" he thinks about the garden (especially around August, when the zucchini and tomatoes come on)…
Why read it?
4 authors picked Inciting Joy as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Joy might not be the first thing you think of when considering grief, but then maybe you haven’t read Ross Gay.
Gay understands that joy exists because of grief, not as a counterbalance, but in a deeply reciprocal relationship. As his father is dying, he presses their faces together, and in his father’s freckles, he sees seeds, a garden. It is just one instance in this book where Gay recognizes that what grows from loss is love.
His book clarifies what I know to be true: that when we fall into the hole of loss, we find ourselves in a…
From Maddie's list on creative nonfiction books to gift your grieving friend.
This collection of essays feels so intimate in the author’s heart yet universal in all of ours. It’s a collection of essays that explore connection and meaning in our lives as a path to Joy.
It’s exactly why I describe Joy as so different than happiness. Each exploration the author offers shows how Joy can spring from whatever is happening in our life, not from a cognitive evaluation of how it is going. He speaks of how Joy springs from our pain and sorrow, which I deeply believe.
They live so close to each other, and each essay invites us…
Gay’s collection of essays is so lovingly and delicately penned.
His writing is approachable, but poetic. Matter of fact but brimming with despair and hope in equal measure. Grief can be so all consuming, but Gay’s main thesis is that Joy is an act of resistance to a callous world and art creates meaning. A valuable lesson that I keep in my pocket and worry like stone when I start to forget.
From Emily's list on grief and joy: you can’t have one without the other.
If you love Inciting Joy...
Aggressor
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
This collection of essays feels so intimate into the author’s heart, yet universal into all of ours.
It’s a collection of essays that explore connection and meaning in our lives as a path to Joy. It’s exactly why I describe Joy as so different than happiness. In each exploration the author offers shows how Joy can spring from whatever is happening in our life, not from a cognitive evaluation of how it is going.
He speaks of how Joy springs from our pain and sorrow which I deeply believe. They live so close to each other and each essay invites…
From Tanmeet's list on to find joy.
If you love Inciting Joy...
Aggressor
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
Want books like Inciting Joy?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Inciting Joy.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,276
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Inciting Joy, you might also like...
My Book Boyfriend
Lily loves her community garden. Rupert wants to bulldoze it. When feelings grow, will they blossom or turn to rubble?
"It literally had everything! - Bookworm Characters - Humor - Banter - Swoon-worthy lines." - Book Reviewer.
Everyday Medical Miracles
Frontiers of Women from the healthcare perspective. A compilation of 60 true short stories written by an extensive array of healthcare providers, physicians, and advanced practice providers.
All designed to give you, the reader, a glimpse into the day-to-day activities of all of us who provide your health care. Come…
