Happy Neighborhood

By Thomas Hallock,

Book cover of Happy Neighborhood: Essays and Poems

Book description

Happy Neighborhood explores through poetry and prose the cultivation of contented place. How must men in particular sift through the rewards, and belabored grudges, of their own childhoods in order to move productively forward? These thoughtful, carefully crafted meditations seek to define happiness at home. The poems begin with daily…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked Happy Neighborhood as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I’m an English teacher, so in addition to reading lots of literature, I read lots of books about literature. These are frequently brilliant and important – but they’re also, for the most part, deathly dull. Academic prose is engineered for analysis, not artistry; it often strikes deep, but it seldom catches fire.

In the case of Happy Neighborhood, it does both. That’s because, in this 2023 book of essays, stories, and poems about American literature, living in Florida, and adopting a son, Hallock combines the academic with the personal in surprising and moving ways.

I’ll be honest: some chapters…

Want books like Happy Neighborhood?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 51 books like Happy Neighborhood.

Browse books like Happy Neighborhood

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Florida, insomnia, and political corruption?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Florida, insomnia, and political corruption.

Florida Explore 125 books about Florida
Insomnia Explore 23 books about insomnia
Political Corruption Explore 38 books about political corruption