Born in California, Ann Patchett grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, after her mother moved Patchett and her sister there following her divorce from Patchett’s father and remarriage to Mike Glasscock. Patchett completed her BA from Sarah Lawrence and MFA from the University of Iowa. She published her first short story while still an undergraduate student and went on to publish her first novel in her twenties. Most celebrated for her novels, Patchett has also penned numerous short stories and works of non-fiction, including collections of essays and a memoir about her friendship with the late poet Lucy Grealy (Ann Patchett).

These Precious Days is a collection of personal essays and reflections, some previously published and some penned by Patchett during the coronavirus pandemic. She draws on life experiences and close relationships to explore ideas about life, and through these explorations, the reader also gets a sense of Patchett as a person. Patchett’s value system deeply influences the insights she gleans from her different experiences. She admires the life of service led by Strobel and appreciates her mother and her friend, Tavia, for their innate kindness and hardworking natures. These point to a worldview in which love and charity are important, and in which it is possible and desirable to make one’s own luck and choose one’s own happiness.