The Book of Delights

Gay hears the lyrics to “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” by Roy Ayers Ubiquity from a passing car. He loves the song for its simplicity and thinks the song is elevated to almost metaphysical holiness by the lyrics, “Just bees and things and flowers” (133).

Gay starts this essay by describing his enthusiastic hand gestures during a conversation. He frequently smacks himself or the people around him while laughing, especially hitting his own chest, near his heart. He is delighted when he realizes he incorporates gestures he learned from his friend Walton, and he reflects on how much people borrow from those around them.

Gay sees 100 pieces of Botan Rice Candy at a shop and purchases two (even though he wants them all). He delights in the fact that there are no pig or horse bones used to produce the gummy candy and remembers when his father brought Gay and his brother to the Asian Market in Levittown, PA. The Asian Market was next to the Levittown Beauty Academy, where the young white girls studying there marveled over Gay and his brother’s hair. He particularly remembers checking out of the market, when his father bought three Botan Rice Candies, giving one to Gay, one to his brother, and eating one himself.