Joyful

August 27, 2018
Designer Lee explores how to craft a more joyful life with this wise, empowering guide to drawing pleasure from natural wonders, brightly colored building facades, and other tangible aspects of one’s environment. Backing up her insights with research from psychology and neuroscience, Lee identifies 10 “aesthetics of joy”: energy, abundance, freedom, harmony, play, surprise, transcendence, magic, celebration, and renewal. She relates energy to “vibrant color and light,” finding an example in the renewal of the Albanian city of Tirana, at one time plagued by crime and decay; four years after the mayor began painting buildings in bright hues, citizens had reclaimed their city. For the surprise aesthetic, characterized by “contrast and whimsy,” Lee draws an example from her own life, remembering shaking with nerves before a boardroom presentation when she noticed that a buttoned-down, gray-suited executive was wearing rainbow-colored socks. He caught her gaze and smiled, a “small, unexpected burst of joy.” She finds the transcendence aesthetic at play in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, where 500 hot-air balloons are launched each year. This book’s extended passages of analysis might be daunting for some, but Lee’s vignettes are engaging and a reminder that “every human being is born with the capacity for joy.” Illus. Agent: Richard Pine, InkWell Management.

There is a calming quality of the author's performance of her empowering audiobook, which reminds us that we shouldn't let our culture dissuade us from finding joy in the tangible qualities of the world around us. At once powerful and innocent sounding, Lee's speaking voice has a beautiful lyricism that is compelling but never upstages her message. The design expert and blogger organizes natural and man-made phenomena into 10 "aesthetics of joy" such as Surprise (contrast and whimsy), Transcendence (elevation and lightness), and Celebration (synchrony, sparkle, and bursting shapes). This audiobook is an invitation to pay attention to the things in our environment that bring happiness and a warm reminder that we have the power and the right to design more joy into our daily experience. T.W. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

February 1, 2019

Well read by the author, this book will encourage listeners to examine their spaces, surroundings, and belongings. Designer Lee discusses the new minimalist movement and how it might be contrary to basic instinct. Because humans were hunter-gatherers, abundance was a good thing, and we may be basically programmed to appreciate and seek it. Lee points out, though, that too much of a good thing may be detrimental and encourages us to look around and think about the things that truly bring us joy. Lee, both in her TED Talks and in this work, urges listeners to look closely at choices to learn what it was that appealed in the first place. While attending design school, she realized that joy can be cultivated through tangible items. Joy, which Lee defines as an intense momentary experience of positive emotion, differs from happiness in that joy is short-lived, while happiness denotes a longer experience. Lee believes that there are some universal "joy-bringers," small things that can have a big impact, from flowers to confetti to sunsets, rainbows, and balloons. Once we identify and surround ourselves with those things that bring us joy, we can include more small moments of joy in our lives. VERDICT This thought-provoking work is recommended to fans of Marie Kondo (Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up), those who enjoy self-help books, and anyone who is seeking to renew the spaces in which they live.--Cheryl Youse, Norman Park, GA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.