Cheerfulness

Garrison Keillor, a longtime radio host and author, considers cheerfulness as a practical virtue for an age that often feels anxious and bleak. Drawing on episodes from his life, from his early adult years through his eighties, he shows how a steady work ethic and a lighthearted outlook can produce a great deal of good.

He makes clear that choosing a sunny disposition is not a way of ignoring cruelty or injustice. Instead, he presents it as a deliberate counterweight to sliding into persistent fear and gloom.

The tone blends humor, tenderness and whimsy, and the book is aimed at readers who want to bring more cheer into their everyday routines.