Todd Doughty - Little Pieces of Hope : Happy-Making Things in a Difficult World

Praise for little pieces of hope

Todd Doughty is one of the happiest people on the planet. He finds things big and small that make us smile, and in this wonderful book he shares them with a world he cherishes.

John Grisham, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Todd Doughty is always the center of the Fun. He gives us nothing less than a party on paper!

Chuck Palahniuk, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fight Club

A dazzling spiritual grab n go of big ideas, positive thoughts, and helpful suggestions that will lift and delight readers everywhere. Through the lens of debut author Todd Doughty, the weary world goes Technicolor. Feast on high-octane mixtapes, curated book titles, travel for the curious, and the best in film, theater, and sports. A small-town boy turned big-city seeker, Doughtys personal stories sprinkled throughout pack a wallop as they celebrate family ties, friendship, love, and grief. Josie Portillos illustrations are glorious. I loved it.

Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Dont Sing at the Table and The Shoemakers Wife

Throughout 2020, Todd Doughty was my Comforter-in-Chief on Instagram. Day after day, he offered his followers poignant, cultural touchstones and Proustian madeleines that ranged from great movies to great books to the small, daily moments when we touch the numinous. He reminded us of the remarkable, exquisite beauty that exists in even the toughest of times, and gave us all reasons toand here is the greatest gift of allhope. This book will make you nod with recognition and smile with uncontrollable joy. Bonus? You will also find dozens of new songs and photos and books and musicals and TV series to savor. Everything about Little Pieces of Hope is a gem. You will cherish it when the world is smiling upon you and reach for it when the world is closing in.

Chris Bohjalian, #1 bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch

Todd Doughty gives us permission to have pleasure. Little Pieces of Hope is part meditation / part celebration, a running thank-you note, a time machine that swings us from the Day-Glo eighties to a soft-focus future, a to-do list that guarantees youll never be bored, a mixtape from a person you want to be your very best friend, a rabbit hole to Wonderlandand we are all Alice. Part recovery / part discovery, this book is a gift for friends, family, and, most especially, yourself.

Helen Ellis, author of Bring Your Baggage and Dont Pack Light

Todd Doughty has given us the gift of his delight, which is one of the most precious gifts we can collectively receive right now. This lovely collection gives weight to the ordinary and gives levity to heavinessa cozy antidote to the accumulation of worry. Next time youre tempted to doom scroll, pick up this treasure trove instead: spend time with it and feel your spirit restored and your outlook illuminated. Go out in the world with more ease, and begin to cherish lifes joys as Doughty does.

Mari Andrew, New York Times bestselling author of Am I There Yet? and My Inner Sky

penguin life

LITTLE PIECES OF HOPE

Todd Doughty is currently senior vice president and deputy publisher at Doubleday and has worked at Penguin Random House for more than two decades. A graduate of Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale and former bookseller, he lives with his partner in Westchester County, New York.

PENGUIN BOOKS

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

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Copyright 2021 by Todd Doughty

Illustrations copyright 2021 by Josie Portillo

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

A Penguin Life Book

library of congress cataloging-in-publication

Names: Doughty, Todd, author. | Portillo, Josie, illustrator.

Title: Little pieces of hope: happy-making things in a difficult world /

Todd Doughty; illustrations by Josie Portillo.

Description: [New York, New York]: Penguin Life [2021]

Identifiers: LCCN 2021003521 (print) | LCCN 2021003522 (ebook) | ISBN 9780143136569 (paperback) | ISBN 9780525508069 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: JoyMiscellanea. | HappinessMiscellanea. | Conduct of lifeMiscellanea.

Classification: LCC BJ1481 .D68 2021 (print) | LCC BJ1481 (ebook) | DDC 152.4/2dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021003521

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/202100352

Designed by Sabrina Bowers, adapted for ebook by Estelle Malmed

Cover design and illustration: Josie Portillo

pid_prh_5.8.0_c0_r0

For my mom, Linda Sue Church

For her parents, Walter and Vivian Vaughn (11/19/19125/30/1960 and 6/11/19235/30/1960)

For her grandmother, Rena White (8/31/18895/30/1960)

and

For Randy Losapio (the Patrick to my David since 9/6/1996)

and his mom, Dolores Losapio