2008 Woodie Awards
New book reveals world full of secrets
Bridgette Blight
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: Entertainment
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10/25/07 - Everyone has secrets. Even if you consider yourself an open person, everyone has something in the recesses of their mind that they keep locked away from others. Secrets can be silly, empowering, or depressing. They can be childhood memories that influence our lives, mistakes made in adulthood that we cannot forget, or strange habits that no one else knows about.
Frank Warren's A Lifetime of Secrets, released on Oct. 9, follows the progression of life through secrets submitted for his Web site, PostSecret. The book starts with secrets from children and about childhood, and ends with an observation on the brevity of life.
A Lifetime of Secrets is the fourth book based on Warren's PostSecret project. PostSecret began as a community art project in which Warren asked people to send him postcards with their deepest, darkest secrets on them. Warren kept receiving postcards after he had finished his project, and decided to create a Web site. According to A Lifetime of Secrets, Warren has received more than 150,000 postcards since November 2004.
Anyone can mail in a postcard with their secret written on it, and about 20 are posted on the Web site every Sunday. These secrets can be liberating for not only the person that sends the secret, but also the people that read it.
In a world where people are increasingly disconnected, PostSecret is a way to feel a little bit less alone.
A Lifetime of Secrets explores people's hidden lives, which intrigues me. I discovered PostSecret in 2006, and I visit it every week. Looking at the creativity of the postcards and discovering the honesty that comes from anonymity gives me hope.
PostSecret has given people a way to share their most intimate secrets with the world without worrying that someone will discover their identity. The juxtaposition between the simplicity of postcards and the complexity of the blogosphere is fascinating.
While reading the book, I found myself able to relate to many of the secrets. I could imagine people in my life writing and sending some of the postcards that I read.
Reading other people's secrets almost seems voyeuristic. But in a world where people are continually becoming more isolated, Warren has found a new way for us to connect.
A Lifetime of Secrets is great to read alone or to look over with friends. While at the bookstore, look through a few copies of A Lifetime of Secrets or any of the PostSecret books. People have been known to leave secrets on postcards inside the books, giving you a little extra for your money.
And who knows? Maybe you'll be inspired to share your own secrets, either with Warren and the PostSecret community, or the important people in your life.
Frank Warren's A Lifetime of Secrets, released on Oct. 9, follows the progression of life through secrets submitted for his Web site, PostSecret. The book starts with secrets from children and about childhood, and ends with an observation on the brevity of life.
A Lifetime of Secrets is the fourth book based on Warren's PostSecret project. PostSecret began as a community art project in which Warren asked people to send him postcards with their deepest, darkest secrets on them. Warren kept receiving postcards after he had finished his project, and decided to create a Web site. According to A Lifetime of Secrets, Warren has received more than 150,000 postcards since November 2004.
Anyone can mail in a postcard with their secret written on it, and about 20 are posted on the Web site every Sunday. These secrets can be liberating for not only the person that sends the secret, but also the people that read it.
In a world where people are increasingly disconnected, PostSecret is a way to feel a little bit less alone.
A Lifetime of Secrets explores people's hidden lives, which intrigues me. I discovered PostSecret in 2006, and I visit it every week. Looking at the creativity of the postcards and discovering the honesty that comes from anonymity gives me hope.
PostSecret has given people a way to share their most intimate secrets with the world without worrying that someone will discover their identity. The juxtaposition between the simplicity of postcards and the complexity of the blogosphere is fascinating.
While reading the book, I found myself able to relate to many of the secrets. I could imagine people in my life writing and sending some of the postcards that I read.
Reading other people's secrets almost seems voyeuristic. But in a world where people are continually becoming more isolated, Warren has found a new way for us to connect.
A Lifetime of Secrets is great to read alone or to look over with friends. While at the bookstore, look through a few copies of A Lifetime of Secrets or any of the PostSecret books. People have been known to leave secrets on postcards inside the books, giving you a little extra for your money.
And who knows? Maybe you'll be inspired to share your own secrets, either with Warren and the PostSecret community, or the important people in your life.