REVIEWS

New book presents the fine art of secrets

A Lifetime of Secrets: A PostSecret Book by: Frank Warren William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2007 ISBN-13: 9780061238604

Secrets weigh heavily on us. And sometimes they’re fun and lovely to hold. But the best part is telling someone. Anyone. Maybe everyone?

A Lifetime of Secrets is a beautiful collection of postcards contributed to Frank Warren, a Maryland small business owner, from anonymous sources all over. From the collection, he has created a community art project. This is his third book on the topic.

As you open the pages, the secrets hit you immediately. The feeling is delicious, like scanning secret mail or diaries without any possibility of getting caught or sanctioned.

The secrets in the book range from the heartbreaking to the trivial. You can see similar types of secrets on the accompanying blog at: postsecret.blogspot.com

It’s all provocative: confessions, fears, hopes and regrets from young to old. Sometimes you feel shock and disgust; other times you feel moved. Each page offers new exposes about someone just like you. Colorful postcards, sometimes touching pictures, pull you to read the whole book in one sitting. It’s really hard to accomplish this because there are just so many!

Anonymous contributors reveal secrets that have haunted them for a lifetime. There are coming-out secrets, forbidden affairs, secrets held by children about parents and then the lost-hope secrets, like the one from the person who secretly hoped her cancer test would turn out positive. There are sad moments like this, but then funny moments too with truly quirky secrets like the one from the website that says, “I like the way my pee smells after I drink coffee.” (Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed!)

A Lifetime of Secrets is the type of book that heals, both for the people sending in the postcards as well as the person reading. Frequently, you laugh out loud; other times, you wince. Throughout, you admire the strength of the people brave enough to send in the postcards, and admire Warren for putting together a masterpiece of art, emotion and experience.

The range of backgrounds and ethnicities teaches us that secret-keeping is universal. Your secret may weigh a ton, but someone else will have a comparable one.

It is an incredible book, a great Christmas gift for friends and relatives. It certainly opens up lines of communication, either within a family or circle of friends. And it’s no secret that this book prompts self-reflection.

At the end, you will be thinking and wondering about the many secrets that are hiding by the people all around you. The book may even tempt you to let go of a few of your own deep, dark desires.