I Wouldn’t Do That If I Were Me: Modern Blunders and Modest Triumphs (But Mostly Blunders)

The Wall Street Journal columnist and bestselling author of Little Victories takes a humorous and insightful look at life in the face of overwhelming societal change that we never anticipated--from the effects on parenthood, marriage, friendship, work, and play to all other aspects of the strange lives we find ourselves living.

Like many of us, Jason Gay didn’t see this coming: a reshaped world, on edge, often stuck at home, questioning everything, trying to navigate a digital landscape that changes how we think, parent, coach, and live. With a series of topical and interconnected personal pieces, Gay comically takes on this new state of being, looking for the optimism and joy in the face of discouragement. He embarks on a rowdy ride with his son to the Daytona 500, weeks before lockdown. He confides his hilariously banal texts with his wife. He allows his mom to kidnap the family cat. From the modest thrills of Little League parenting to reckoning with the impending death of a close friend, Gay’s essays run the gamut of modern life and he approaches it all with humility, grace, and more than a few laughs.

Jason Gay is the sports and humor columnist at the Wall Street Journal, and he is very aware of how that sounds. In 2010, 2016, and 2019, Gay was named Sports Columnist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Little Victories and a finalist for the 2016 Thurber Prize in American Humor. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his family, and way too many in-laws.