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Post Secret: Extraordinary Confessions From Ordinary Lives (PostSecret)
by
Frank Warren
The project that captured a nation's imagination.
The instructions were simple, but the results were extraordinary.
"You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything -- as long as it is true and you have never share...more
The instructions were simple, but the results were extraordinary.
"You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything -- as long as it is true and you have never share...more
Published
(first published December 1st 2005)
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I really adore these PostSecret books. I feel like I'm kind of late in finding them, but what the hell! So I'm not on the cutting edge. That's no secret.
Anyway, I am touched by the secrets strangers tell to strangers, so saddened by the guilt and hurt and loss that ordinary people are carrying around. I can only hope that telling their secrets has helped this folks heal. (Does that sound trite? But it's true, it's really true!)
I am also amazed and pleased by the art that...more
Anyway, I am touched by the secrets strangers tell to strangers, so saddened by the guilt and hurt and loss that ordinary people are carrying around. I can only hope that telling their secrets has helped this folks heal. (Does that sound trite? But it's true, it's really true!)
I am also amazed and pleased by the art that...more
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I've seen bits of the books before, and articles about it, but this was the first of the books that I've read all the way through and really took some time with. For some reason it reminded me of the film "Amelie" - one of my all time favorites.
I found it to be beautiful and inspiring and heartbreaking and funny and depressing all at once. Some secrets made me laugh, a few made me cry, I judged some, I felt like praying for others, but almost all made me feel something, a...more
I found it to be beautiful and inspiring and heartbreaking and funny and depressing all at once. Some secrets made me laugh, a few made me cry, I judged some, I felt like praying for others, but almost all made me feel something, a...more
This books is oddly inspiring and terrifying at the same time. People from all over the country sent postcards to this guy with their deepests secrets and fears and some will scare the hell out of you and some will make you cry and the worst part is some will make you nod your head and agree! The postcards touch on every human experience we have and let you know you are not alone. The author still receives postcards from all over the world and has made a sequel as well, there is also a websit...more
Mark
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
modern art enthusiast
Shelves:
non-fictions
Here's a quote from one of the postcard that wiped the smile from my face while *reading* this amazing book :
Income from teaching creative writing ... $ 32,654.00
Income from writing creatively ... $ 0.00
I admire how Frank Warren got his idea for this collected postcards book, and reading the anonymous-es confessions somehow made me realize that I'm not the only person on this planet that have deepest darkest secret(s) that I'm dying to share but so afraid tha...more
Income from teaching creative writing ... $ 32,654.00
Income from writing creatively ... $ 0.00
I admire how Frank Warren got his idea for this collected postcards book, and reading the anonymous-es confessions somehow made me realize that I'm not the only person on this planet that have deepest darkest secret(s) that I'm dying to share but so afraid tha...more
Ken
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
voyeurs and anyone interested in the experience of living.
Shelves:
nonfiction
I remember reading about PostSecret when it first began a couple of years ago, and a couple of months ago found the weekly blog compiled by Frank Warren. People send Warren a 3 by 5 postcard that reveals a secret that they have never told anyone. Selections of what he receives appear on the blog and in this, the first of 4 books.
The postcards in this book are not organized in any particular way, but the secrets that they reveal include betrayal, love, fear, courage, despair, hope, ...more
The postcards in this book are not organized in any particular way, but the secrets that they reveal include betrayal, love, fear, courage, despair, hope, ...more
A fun read. He invited people to mail him anonymous postcards with a secret. The book is all of those secrets. Some people have lived with horrible secrets, others are just funny (ex. - I like to pee when I swim). A quick look at all the postcards.
there are two kind of secrets: those we keep from others and those we hide from ourselves....
are you willing to share yours???
this book was so liberating, as it was comforting.
I dont think i can describe with words the emotions, thoughts, insight it gave to me. How much pain, frustration, shattered dreams, fears, hopes.. can all be condensed into a simple sentence.
these simple revelations had so much substance. I laughed, cried, gasped.. and of cou...more
are you willing to share yours???
this book was so liberating, as it was comforting.
I dont think i can describe with words the emotions, thoughts, insight it gave to me. How much pain, frustration, shattered dreams, fears, hopes.. can all be condensed into a simple sentence.
these simple revelations had so much substance. I laughed, cried, gasped.. and of cou...more
Cody
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
ANYONE WITH A SECRET
Shelves:
non-fiction
The best way to free yourself from a dark secret or any secret is to tell that secret to someone else. Frank Warren has figured out a way to do that and remain anonomous. Write it on a postcard, store-bought or homemade, and mail it to him. This series of PostSecret books are the best of the lot. Some are hysterical, others moving and some downright gross (ie. the wife that pust boogers in her husband's soup) and no matter if you hate the idea or love it, you have to admit the books ae compe...more
I originally just picked up this book at my uncle's house to flip through, realizing I'd seen something like it on an All-American Rejects music video. Before I knew it, I was reading page after page, not wanting to stop. Some of the secrets had me laughing, while others were depressing. I could certainly relate to some of the secrets I've read.
Now, it has become a Sunday ritual to check www.postsecret.com for more secrets.
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Because everyo...more
Now, it has become a Sunday ritual to check www.postsecret.com for more secrets.
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Because everyo...more
Kamalia
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Most people
Recommended to Kamalia by:
A friend
As with the other PostSecret books I throughly enjoyed reading this. Many people gave this books a lower rating because it was either a) "depressing" or b) thought many of the secrets sent in were made up. Firstly many of the secrets are quite negative because people are afraid to share, and if they're afraid to share them -there must be a reason as to why! Secondly, although it could be an ideal and too-trusting way to think that the all the secrets are true, that's not necessarily al...more
I read this while working at an outdoors booth in the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial on the first day of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. This added a little something for me, as I could look up from the book and ponder how many different kinds of people there are in the world and how much our lives are the same AND dis-similar.
The situation also gave me time to ponder what secret I could contribute and I haven't come up with one yet. I don't think I keep secrets, especially from my hus...more
The situation also gave me time to ponder what secret I could contribute and I haven't come up with one yet. I don't think I keep secrets, especially from my hus...more
A book of secrets, attached to a website of secrets, attached to hundred of thousands of people who all have something to say, something to share, and something to hide. I picked this book up from the library after having followed the website for the last year, interested in the entire concept and all the realities that come with it.
Now normally when reviewing a book the point to a review is to form an opinion about the books content with PostSecret however this is not something that coul...more
Now normally when reviewing a book the point to a review is to form an opinion about the books content with PostSecret however this is not something that coul...more
I liked Postsecret as a social reading book, like we talked about in class. I think that this is the type of book that I would find enjoyable while sitting at a Barnes and Noble or Borders cafe or the type of book that I read aloud with my best friend. I probably would not actually purchase the books, especially if there is also a postsecret website.
However, I do see the appeal for reluctant readers. The art work is fantastic and many reluctant readers would enjoy leafing throug...more
However, I do see the appeal for reluctant readers. The art work is fantastic and many reluctant readers would enjoy leafing throug...more
"My Math teacher and my parents said they were proud of me. I believed my teacher"
"I wish my parents could see me for what I am instead of what I didn't become"
As a way of establishing independence, it is developmentally appropriate for teens to withhold information from their parents. This is probably one of the most challenging aspects of parenting a teenager, but what teens sometimes forget is that parents have their own set of secrets that they may or...more
"I wish my parents could see me for what I am instead of what I didn't become"
As a way of establishing independence, it is developmentally appropriate for teens to withhold information from their parents. This is probably one of the most challenging aspects of parenting a teenager, but what teens sometimes forget is that parents have their own set of secrets that they may or...more
PostSecret is a beautiful piece of art that is delves into the depths of who we are. I think it is an excellent book for readers all ages though some of the content is fairly graphic. Young Adults will be especially drawn to it because being a teenager often feels like being alone or being the only one that feels something or has experienced something. When YA readers pick up this book they will see that what they feel is at once unique and also universal. As Warren points out no secret is ident...more
No one wants to drown in her sorrows or enjoy others' torments, but there is a wonderous, small lifting of loneliness when we discover that perfect strangers share our deceptively unique fears and hidden truths. POST SECRET stings you with the little messages scattered throughout its pages of anonymous postcards sent to Frank Warren, the man who put together this book.
I'm obviously not referring to the postcard from a man stating he survived 9/11 and never told his family or friends....more
I'm obviously not referring to the postcard from a man stating he survived 9/11 and never told his family or friends....more
I'm just as appalled as you are that this is listed on my "read" shelf. GR needs a "looked at every single page" shelf in order to better classify books such as this.
Taken at face value, this collection of confessional postcards is poignant, disturbing, and beautiful in equal parts. However, the same cynicism that causes me to assume that everyone on the Internet (who is not on my GR friends list) is in actuality a hairy, swaybacked, middle-aged man by the name of...more
Taken at face value, this collection of confessional postcards is poignant, disturbing, and beautiful in equal parts. However, the same cynicism that causes me to assume that everyone on the Internet (who is not on my GR friends list) is in actuality a hairy, swaybacked, middle-aged man by the name of...more
Matt Margo
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who enjoying viewing the beautiful and the ugly as one.
Recommended to Matt by:
Marc Ayers
Throughout my entire high school career, I have been involved with the school's speech/debate team. My particular event has always been Impromptu Speaking, wherein I have had to analyze and interpret a vast variety of famous quotations and proverbs. This collection of published postcards was presented to me by my former event captain during my freshman year. His intentions were for the other Impromptu speakers and I to analyze the meanings of certain postcards and pages. As I read and studied ea...more
Fascinating idea...in 2004, Frank Warren printed 3,000 blank postcards with his name and address and an invitation to decorate them and share a secret with him anonymously. He left them on park benches, in art galleries, at libraries, and elsewhere. And then the whole thing went viral, as they say in the virtual world. I understand that, to date, he has received over 400,000 postcards from people wanting or needing to share their secrets anonymously. This book is his first, and includes reproduc...more
These books are such fascinating glimpses into peoples lives; their fears, dreams, shames, glories. My heart was touched and tugged; sometimes I felt sad, sometimes hopeful, sometimes aghast. My local bookclub picked these books to read for December. They are very quick reads, but, I am sure, will provoke the most interesting of discussions. We all plan on picking several postcards that had an impact on us to discuss. I am really looking forward to hearing what my friends have to say.
Amazing idea behind this collection of postcards. Read a few and you become compelled to read the rest. Some leave you laughing and some leave you with a feeling of dread. All are presumably true and it is intriguing to see how the people decided to convey their secrets, often with images. A good coffee table book (as long as you enjoy the strange conversations that follow). I recommend at least flipping through it next time you are at the book store. Reactions may vary but its worth the try.
Excellent book that I recommend to any and everyone! It is really cool just how the people in these books can be so brave to write their secret on a post card and mail it in for a stranger to see!
Psychotherapy for the price of a postage stamp. In 2004, Frank Warren got the idea of handing out blank postcards to strangers or leaving them out in public places asking anybody who wants to, to write down any secret they have never told anybody and mail it to him anonymously. From the response he received, he was able to compile several books and setup a very popular website. This volume had a foreword by therapist, Dr. Anne Fisher.
When I was looking over the reviews of this book in GR, ...more
When I was looking over the reviews of this book in GR, ...more
PostSecret was an interesting read. It is a collection of postcards that were anonymously sent to Frank Warren. Each postcard has a personal secret.
The subject matter ranges from sad ("I only love one of my children") to hysterical ("Sometimes when I do Chinese takeout, I order for 2 people so I won't look like a fat, lonely loser"). I think anyone reading this would be able relate to at least one postcard (mine was "I've always wanted to rob a bank'). The ar...more
The subject matter ranges from sad ("I only love one of my children") to hysterical ("Sometimes when I do Chinese takeout, I order for 2 people so I won't look like a fat, lonely loser"). I think anyone reading this would be able relate to at least one postcard (mine was "I've always wanted to rob a bank'). The ar...more
It's hard for me, when I read this book (or rather, looked at it) to believe that this was a project with a title and an author. Postsecret is a website dedicated to letting people in the world air their grievances without having the messy situation known as consequence, affect them; that was turned into a book. Flipping through the pages at first, I was more fascinated by the creative cards people had taken the time out to decorate than i was the secrets themselves. Until I started reading. Not...more
I love, love, love PostSecret. I remember looking through this years ago as it came through inter-library loans where I work. Its just one of those books you can't not take a look at, even if you looked through it a dozen times before. The artwork, for me, is what makes the secrets so intriguing. We are privy to peoples deepest fears, hopes, dreams, desires, etc., in a very personal way. Instead of a blank postcard with the words simply written or typed, all the secrets are presented along with ...more
5P, 4Q, S
What a great addition to any collection! While there is no single "voice" to speak, the promise of anonymity has brought out hundreds of distinct voices echoing many of the same sentiments. People are lonely, they miss others, they have been hurt, they question their identity. Everyone can find something with which they identify in this text, and the cards themselves are visually interesting, if not always beautiful. As one reader notes within the text, I can s...more
What a great addition to any collection! While there is no single "voice" to speak, the promise of anonymity has brought out hundreds of distinct voices echoing many of the same sentiments. People are lonely, they miss others, they have been hurt, they question their identity. Everyone can find something with which they identify in this text, and the cards themselves are visually interesting, if not always beautiful. As one reader notes within the text, I can s...more
I am an intensely private person who has devoted much of my adult life to letting go of the fears, the guilt, the insecurities and the "secretiveness" that defined the first thirty of my sixty-two years on the Planet. I'm not easily shocked, or surprised, by any aspect of the human condition. That having been said, I was pleased to find that the raw, naked and often painful introspection found on the (amazing!) pages of this book left me with a sense of understanding, insight and hmm...more
Chris
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of Frank Warren, people who are interested in other people
Shelves:
art,
books-read-2011,
non-fiction,
photography,
pop-culture,
psychology,
social-issues,
social-psychology,
sociology,
teen,
young-adult
Another one of Frank Warren's compilation of people's secrets all together in one large book. The secrets range from all topics. From regrets of parents' deaths to dirty secrets of lovers to childhood fears that many still have.
What made this book I read was that someone from my library add in their own little Post Secret on the very last page of the book
"I want to believe my dad went to heaven to put my mind at peace...but I don't know if I even believe in heaven....(:,-...more
What made this book I read was that someone from my library add in their own little Post Secret on the very last page of the book
"I want to believe my dad went to heaven to put my mind at peace...but I don't know if I even believe in heaven....(:,-...more
After reading this book, I started to wonder: if I were to anonymously post a secret to the world, what would it be? Would I find a correlation between the secret and all my other actions in life? If I released the secret, would something change? Some of the secrets in the book are heartbreaking such as those who are trying to deal with feelings [in some cases, a lifetime-worth:] of guilt, grief, and despair. Some are self-indulgent to the point of being proud of bad behavior and wanting to shar...more
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“How I wish I could hug everyone and tell them that it's okay. It's okay to be scared and angry and hurt and selfish. It's part of being human,”
—
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