NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * This inspiring meditation on kindness from the author of Lincoln in the Bardo is based on his popular commencement address.

Three months after George Saunders gave a graduation address at Syracuse University, a transcript of that speech was posted on the website of The New York Times, where its simple, uplifting message struck a deep chord. Within days, it had been shared more than one million times. Why? Because Saunders’s words tap into a desire in all of us to lead kinder, more fulfilling lives. Powerful, funny, and wise, Congratulations, by the way is an inspiring message from one of today’s most influential and original writers.

Praise for Congratulations, by the way

As slender as a psalm, and as heavy. -The New York Times

The graduating college senior in your life probably just wants money. But if you want to impart some heartfelt, plainspoken wisdom in addition to a check, you can’t do much better than [Congratulations, by the way]. -Entertainment Weekly

The loving selflessness that [George Saunders] advises and the interconnectedness that he recognizes couldn’t be purer or simpler-or more challenging. -Kirkus Reviews

Warm and tender. -Publishers Weekly