A Private History of Happiness, Ninety-Nine Moments of Joy from Around the World
Happiness being an elusive encounter in our modern age, we often need to know that it truly can be found. Turning to the past where happiness suspended in time is found in letters and diaries, we find in Myerson’s book a charming resource. Each two-page entry gives us the original excerpt, then an enhancing background of the moment recorded, which completes our experience. Culled from all over the globe, over a 4,000- year span, from the famous to the obscure, these joyful moments speak to us, and we are momentarily connected with their writers. The book can be read in order with categories such as Family, Garden, Food and Drink, and Love. Or open it at random, and be surprised by the variety of ways to experience joyful moments. Who needs self-help books, when this history of real people experiencing happiness will do much more to connect us with this elusive experience? A jewel of a book, one worth keeping company with in our hectic world.