Good Reads

If You Love Words, Read This Book

Ocean Vuong’s prose stays with you well into the night

from the NPR archives

I’ve always been a lover of books. More specifically, I’ve always been a lover of words. I was reminded of this recently when I reread Ocean Vuong’s masterpiece, One Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.

I was first introduced to this gem back in 2019 when it first came out. I was at Book Soup in Los Angeles, rummaging through books like I usually do. That’s when I saw a copy of this book propped up on the “New Books” table. I picked it up and read the first page. I was immediately captivated. I knew right there and then that this would be one of my favorite books of the year.

But I was wrong. It’s one of my favorite books of all time.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous: 'A masterpiece' - Max Porter

Ocean Vuong is a literary master. I didn’t realize he was a poet until after I finished reading this book. His prose is impeccable and lyrical and heart-wrenching and so beautiful. The words strung together in a procession of tenderness and reminiscence of Walt Whitman’s.