Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today is Sunday. The official "break day" of the United States Postal Service. Must be nice, right? Just kidding! I love the members of our postal service for all the bookish wonders they bring through rain, snow, and all that other weather phenomenon so please, give it up for their rightful day of rest! *ahem* But back on track again....
Today is the day I choose to review a book that they play a vital role in creating. What's that? How do THEY have a starring role? Well you see, though the book is made of YOUR secrets, unless you're an online contributor or one that utilized the app when still in working mode, THEY delivered your shared thoughts, comments, and confessions to the "powers that be" enabling them to be included in one of several volumes now in circulation. Now then, shall we meet the latest (and possibly the last) addition to the intriguing series? Ready, set, read....
by
Frank Warren
9780062339010
William Morrow
About the book....
A decade ago, Frank Warren began a community art project that captured the popular imagination and became a worldwide obsession. He handed out postcards to strangers and left them in public places—asking people to share a secret they had never told anyone and mail them back to him anonymously. More than half a million secrets, 600 million hits to the award-winning PostSecret blog, and five huge bestsellers later, the PostSecret phenomenon is bigger than ever. By turns funny, heartbreaking, thoughtful, and moving, this compendium of graphic haiku offers an intimate glimpse into both individual private lives and into our shared humanity.
Included in this compelling new book are dozens of the best archived secrets from the original PostSecret app; inside stories about the most controversial secrets Frank Warren has received; moving text from the new PostSecret play, foreign secrets, "puzzle" secrets, and much more!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Honestly, since this book is all ABOUT honesty even if it is an anonymous situation, this is the first time that I've REALLY looked at the PostSecret books. I mean of course I've thumbed through a random page or two of one in passing, who hasn't, but actually read it cover to cover....it's a first for me.
Again with the truth, I was one mixed bag of feelings as I turned page after page of this collection. Some of the secrets shared blew me away not only for their content but the shear fact that someone shared them. Of course, there is the other side of that coin though; the freeing aspect that comes with sharing some of that burden with someone else. The anonymous part makes it easier for the dark thoughts, hidden desires, shameful actions, or what not to be shared without having fingers pointed at themselves in judgment. Though I've never sent anything, I get it...and respect those that have.
The thing I like the most? It's a topic actually, or perhaps better stated a result of the works being shared, that the author (collector?), Mr. Warren, discusses at several points throughout the work; the ability the secrets have to draw people together, to let them know they are never truly alone. While some may have fewer people raises their hands in recognition of a truth within themselves, I seriously doubt there is anyone that can read through the work and not find themselves somewhere. I myself discovered those like me upon reaching page 212 and 213.
In conclusion, while certainly not your average read, it is one worth reading. There's nothing voyeuristic about it; they are secrets, yes, but shared with one and all to allow a piece of themselves out into the world but also others to know someone else has been there, is there, or will be there themselves someday....and you know what? That's okay. Recommended read for teens through adults.
Review copy received courtesy of the great team at William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. (THANKS!) For more information on this addition, the others previously released, other secrets, the mind behind the work, or almost anything else you can possibly fathom to add to my run on sentence, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title was released this November, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.
Until next time...happy reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment