Signs of Hope: Messages from Subway Therapy

by Matthew "Levee" Chavez

A deeply moving, candid, and inspiring collection of personal missives and color images from the most expressive subway wall in the world, a tribute to the diverse voices of a teeming city.

New Yorkers are never short on opinions, and Matthew "Levee" Chavez observed in early 2016 that given the chance, they wanted to talk. He brought a table and chairs to subway platforms and spoke with anyone keen on conversing. A practiced listener and secret keeper for commuters, Chavez showed up in the subway a day after the presidential election with stacks of brightly colored sticky notes. "Express yourself," he told passersby. The response was electric.

As the colorful squares spread along the tiled wall, a vast mosaic of personal messages took shape, beautiful to behold, rich with personality, cathartic and consoling. Calling himself "Levee"--one who supports the city's emotional tide--Chavez turned a communal underground maze into an ever-changing, ever-growing art space known as Subway Therapy. Thousands have picked up the mantle to create Subway Therapy walls in cities across the nation, including San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Capturing the feelings leaping from the wonderfully diverse 3-x-3-inch notes and weaving in quotes from Chavez and participants about the project, Signs of Hope's intimate reflections, humorous musings, fond remembrances, and fierce calls to action reach out with unencumbered love to one another and to us. Individually, these "posts" bravely bring the personal and the momentary into the open. Together, they show us a vision of inclusivity, communication, and hope.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Inspirational, Activism, Coffee Table Books

176 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2017

Reviews

[Sabrina Kaye Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been to New York. In fact, I've barely left my small Indiana town. I've seen the ocean three times on vacation, but always come back to my hometown. We don't have Subways here, we don't even have a bus except for the schools we have here. Nothing like this would ever happen in my town in Indiana. We're a small community, and tight-knit.

The author mentions that New York seems like a lonely place, which may seem weird to us seeing as how the population is so dense. Messages from Subway Therapy shows that there are people filled with hope, people who are scared, people who are there for others. Even if you're alone, you're really not alone. You're surrounded by people who are like-minded, and people who would be there for you if you reached out. No matter how alone or scary this world is, you'll always have someone who's there for you, and someone who will help you.

Throughout this book, there are a million sticky notes with messages of hope, sadness, optimism, even inspiring quotes from Harry Potter. They're colorful, and they show us that out of this cold, hard world, there are people still working on humanity. Sprinkled images of some of the people who visited the wall where Matthew set up his stand are in this book as well. He captures all of the emotions in their faces following the election that happened this past year.

This book really has made a lasting impression on me, and I will be passing it onto my best friend to give her hope as well. I felt all kinds of emotions reading what others took time out of their busy lives to write, hopefully it'll elicit the same response in her. I don't feel so alone anymore.

[❄️✨ Kat ✨❄️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I know we're only 6 days in, but I know this book will resonate with me throughout the whole year. It's that amazing.

Matthew "Levee" Chavez came up with a fantastic idea to bring people in New York subway tunnels together. He set up a book for strangers to write their problems and feelings into, a place to get rid of their baggage with no judgments. This then turned into an awesome project; he started bringing sticky notes for people to write anything they wanted onto, and the Post-Its were stuck on the walls of the subway. They range from "Love yourself" notes, to people releasing their worst fears.

This is a VERY inspirational book and I know I'll be coming back to this one time and time again.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful coffee-table type book that will make you cry and give you hope in the future.

Thank you Edelweiss for the ARC for collection development purposes.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of beautiful, heartfelt and sometimes heartbreaking, messages New York Subway commuters wrote to their fellow commuters, their family and friends, their neighbours, their countrymen, their leaders, the strangers around them, and, most importantly, themseles. The Post-It Note messages adorned the walls in subways around New York and attracted attention and admiration which saw the project duplicated in other cities and towns around the USA and the world. This opportunity to express their emotions, fears, hopes, dreams and concerns because an easy and accessible way to debrief after the shock of the first Trump election. The messages and the project itself are fascinating and inspiring. The author shares how he came up with the idea and, at the end of the book, some tips on running your own public engagement art project/happening. Well worth the time spent pouring over the colourful messages. This book bought more than one tear to my eye as I wondered how the project participants would have reacted if they were told that Trump would be given a second go at dividing the country and making racism, intolerance and hate part of everyday American life.

[David A Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world only spins forward.

[Caffeinated Fae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book a while ago and never really found the time to read it. Signs of Hope called to me the second I saw it. I actually kept picking it up in various bookstores so I'm happy that I finally made time to read it.

Signs of Hope by Matthew "Levee" Chavez is truly an inspirational book. It's one that I'm proud to have on my bookshelf and one that I will probably pass along to friends and family in hopes that it reaches more people.

It's an extremely quick read and it shows you snapshots into someone else's life. Some of the post-its are hopeful, some desperate, and some made me tear up while reading. The emotions that each post-it expresses is beautiful in a unique way. Ultimately, this was beautiful and it's going to be a book I have to pass on to others. It would be a shame to keep it to myself.

[Reading Fool · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

This book captures many of the handwritten notes that New Yorkers wrote on Post-Its as part of the author's Subway Therapy program. Matthew "Levee" Chavez set up a table and two chairs at a subway tunnel on the day after the 2016 presidential election. He started off by writing "I'm sad my friends are upset" and placing the note on one of the wall tiles. What ensued was a barrage of other messages from other people, showing sadness, hope, support, and a myriad of emotions. This would be a great book to place on your coffee table or at the front of your office desk - so others can peruse it and also feel the sadness as well as joy that I felt when I read it.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book. Great messages. Love the concept.
Lots of great messages and quotes and illustrations.
Note from the author, behind the concept - Secret Keeper - "The emotional burden of your secret won't be as heavy for me. I'll help you carry it. .... Within a few short weeks hundreds of New Yorkers had shared with me their innermost concerns. I didn't take payment, though many kind souls offered; I wanted to show them, and myself, that some good things could be free. The practice taught me to love listening..."
"Love me without restriction, trust me without fear, want me without demand, accept me for who I am." - Unknown
"Say something nice to somebody you don't know."
"Be love that you seek."
"They thought they could bury us. They didn't know we were seeds." - Mexican Proverb

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't a super deep book - it's one you flip through and read, and put on your coffee table, and flip through again another day. And I think it's good for that - like anyone else who was devastated two years ago after the election, this is nice to read through and feel a little better about the world. It isn't anything super new, but I got really emotional reading it.

[Wendelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a common saying that if we could only read the secret thoughts, hopes and fears of other people, we would find much to love and admire. The author launched an art/therapy project composed of post-it notes from anonymous NY strangers about their secret thoughts, hopes and fears, and proved the common notion true. This is such a reassuring book about how we are all in this together.

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a hopeful, inspirational PostSecret, and as someone who experienced the original wall back in November 2016, this books means so much to me. Love it.

[Jenee (her/hers) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this project was in every city, and people could communicate to others and express their feelings so they know they aren't alone in the world.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The post-it notes from the Subway Therapy undertaken by the author last fall when President Trump was elected.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provocative, powerful, beautiful.
A moving example of one person making a difference in the world.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, inspiring, makes me want to start this at school

[Ocean · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought this book would be mildly interesting. i wasn't expecting it to make me sob. in a good way.

[Britt, Book Habitue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Randi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet hopeful little book that shows how powerful human emotions are. ❤

[Cheryl Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A neat book by an author who, while living in New York in 2016 just before the election, took a chance that people just needed to connect. He set up a table and two chairs in one of the many subway tunnels that crisscross New York City with a blank book for people to write in and a sign that said "Secret Keeper." Shortly after he sat down, a man approached him, and the author encouraged him to write any truth that was weighing him down. He told this man, "The emotional burden of your secret won't be as heavy for me, I'll help you carry it." So began his project,"Subway Therapy." From the "Secret Keeper" book, the author decided to use Post It Notes, and soon, the wall behind him was covered in colorful Post It Notes, with peoples fears and joys. This project has spread to many cities. The author collected all the notes every evening and rehung them every morning. He had many people volunteer to help him. Matthew "Levee" Chavez found out a lot about himself and the people of New York City. He took some of the notes and had them published in this book. It is an excellent short read and so very appropriate after this latest election.

[Kassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book based on the creation of the Subway Therapy movement in which Matthew “Levee” Chavez came up with the idea to set up a table and chairs in the subway to listen to strangers and just simply be there for them to talk to, especially during the tough times of 2016. He also provided an outlet for people to share their thoughts, worries, fears, express their love, good news, bad news, and so much more by writing them on a Post-It note and sticking them on the walls of the subway. This movement and book reminded me of PostSecret but on a more public scale and also even a little more intimate as the author and creator of Subway Therapy got to meet strangers every day for months and have conversations with them. This book packs an inspiring movement and collection of notes all in one wonderful place. I’m so happy to have learned about something that I so clearly missed a few years ago but am so happy someone thought to create!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I basically cried the whole time reading these messages. people just want to be connected and supported, but so many of us feel so alone all the time, especially when we are dealing with uncertainty and hardship

[Ash.O · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of messages. I'm glad it was documented and I think it's a needed time capsule. Although the project is set in a specific time, most of the messages are still modern; as heartbreaking, infuriating, inspiring, etc. as that may be.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I contributed to this wall in December 2016, so unfortunately none of my post-its made it into the book! Still inspiring to see so many hopeful messages.

[Chie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's gonna be my Bible.

[Ashlee Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this in 2021 as a reminder that “this too shall pass.”

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book with inspirational messages from New Yorkers. Cool idea.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, inspiring and heartbreaking!

[JoAnn Steinly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes we think we're alone.
This little book about a grass roots "therapy" proves differently.