In these 11 essays adapted from his email newsletter, Trying!, the longtime travel, food, and culture writer Matt Gross wrestles with the lingering demons of existential angst, taking on every subject from dogs, sausages, and the 2024 presidential election to Oscar the Grouch, Anthony Bourdain, and, of course, Luke Skywalker. At times silly, at others ferocious, Gross's writing is always thoughtful, provocative, surprising, and original.