On Gratitude: More Than 50 Celebrities on What Makes Them Thankful »

Todd Aaron Jensen is an award-winning freelance journalist with featured bylines in more than 100 publications around the world, including GQ, Esquire, American Way, Penthouse, Mean, Icon, Moving Pictures, and Costco Connection. He is a contributing editor at Spirit and US Airways, and his work is syndicated in more than sixty countries via London-based Planet Syndication.

What Are You Most Grateful For?

Ricky Gervais says . . . Pajamas.
I've started wearing pajamas out, because they're more comfortable than trousers. (Laughs) I started out with jeans, then went to sweatpants about ten years ago. Now it's just pajamas. I wore them to the White House. I've gone whole hog.

Dolly Parton says . . . Humble Roots.
I think being brought up dirt poor left with me with a feeling of what it was like to go without, so I can relate when people are having a hard time. In my case, being a songwriter, I'm able to write not only for and about myself, but for what I know other people are feeling, even if they don't always have the means to get their voices heard.

Anne Rice says . . . Clackety-Clack.
My stepmother, who was a very practical, wonderful woman, took me into Dallas before I went into college to buy me a typewriter. She picked out this wonderful little portable one, black and white keys, and it was real fast. I still have it. I won't give it up.

In this enlightening and engaging collection, celebrities from Seth Rogen and Sheryl Crowe to Joyce Carol Oates and B.B. King share the people, places, and things for which they are most grateful. Alternately sentimental and surprising, wise and wacky, these heartfelt "gratitude bucket lists" as described by some of our most beloved artists are sure to inspire readers everywhere to make their own lists—and live their own lives with more love, affection, and thanksgiving.

Publishers Weekly

In a fashion similar to a Thanksgiving toast, journalist Jensen uncovers the so-called "gratitude lists" of 50 celebrities ranging in profession and fame. Actors, artists, musicians, authors, cartoonists, athletes and others reveal lists that delve deeper into their lives than the average acceptance speech at any given award show. Each chapter focuses on a single celebrity beginning with a short biography vaguely explaining his or her significance, followed by confusingly titled paragraphs consisting of cumbersome quotes that essentially form this "list." Insights from truly compelling figures such as Coppola, Updike, Lynch and Vonnegut carry the book to its abrupt end. Little about the nature of gratitude is discussed but much is learned about the subjects' lives and relationships.
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