Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collections
Publication
William Morrow (2005), Edition: First, 288 pages
Description
Frank Warren had an idea for a community art project: he began handing out postcards to strangers and leaving them in public places--asking people to write down a secret they had never told anyone and mail it to him, anonymously. The response was overwhelming. The secrets were both provocative and profound, and the cards themselves were works of art--carefully and creatively constructed by hand. Addictively compelling, the cards reveal our deepest fears, desires, regrets, and obsessions. Frank calls them "graphic haiku," beautiful, elegant, and small in structure but powerfully emotional. As Frank began posting the cards on his website, PostSecret took on a life of its own, becoming much more than a simple art project. It has grown into a global phenomenon, exposing our individual aspirations, fantasies, and frailties--our common humanity. This collection brings together the most powerful, personal, and intimate secrets he has received.--From publisher description.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member tealightful
As much as I devoutly check the PostSecret website every Sunday morning (for the last 4 years, at least), I just don't care for the books as much.
Some of the secrets are beautiful, powerful, ridiculous, brave and some are obviously very fake and some are so real and close-to-home that it can be
That being said, I wouldn't ever really urge anyone to go buy a copy. Spend the 20 bucks and just make a donation to the Suicide Prevention group promoted by PostSecret or to the website itself. I think the idea is brilliant, the execution (online) is wonderful and I would love to go to a gathering sometime but I just wasn't enthralled by the book.
Maybe I'm just bitter because no one had hidden a folded up paper secret in mine. *scowl*
;)
Some of the secrets are beautiful, powerful, ridiculous, brave and some are obviously very fake and some are so real and close-to-home that it can be
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painful to stumble upon.That being said, I wouldn't ever really urge anyone to go buy a copy. Spend the 20 bucks and just make a donation to the Suicide Prevention group promoted by PostSecret or to the website itself. I think the idea is brilliant, the execution (online) is wonderful and I would love to go to a gathering sometime but I just wasn't enthralled by the book.
Maybe I'm just bitter because no one had hidden a folded up paper secret in mine. *scowl*
;)
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LibraryThing member name99
Much as you'd expect; essentially the best postcards from the web site.
One thing that is striking is just how much more appealing the postcards are when printed on paper. The larger size, brighter colors and better resolution might be subtle, but the experience is substantially superior to reading
My one complaint, to anyone who plans to buy the book, is that the publishers were a bunch of cheap bastards who didn't use perfect binding, an especially crappy decision given the number of postcards that straddle two pages.
So the book gets 5 stars for content, but is dropped to 4 stars for the lousy packaging.
One thing that is striking is just how much more appealing the postcards are when printed on paper. The larger size, brighter colors and better resolution might be subtle, but the experience is substantially superior to reading
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on the web.My one complaint, to anyone who plans to buy the book, is that the publishers were a bunch of cheap bastards who didn't use perfect binding, an especially crappy decision given the number of postcards that straddle two pages.
So the book gets 5 stars for content, but is dropped to 4 stars for the lousy packaging.
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LibraryThing member JLSlipak
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
It all began with an idea Frank Warren had for a community art project. He began handing out postcards to strangers and leaving them in public places — asking people to write down a secret they had never told anyone and mail it to him, anonymously.
The response was overwhelming. The secrets were both provocative and profound, and the cards themselves were works of art — carefully and creatively constructed by hand. Addictively compelling, the cards reveal our deepest fears, desires, regrets, and obsessions. Frank calls them “graphic haiku,” beautiful, elegant, and small in structure but powerfully emotional.
As Frank began posting the cards on his website, PostSecret took on a life of its own, becoming much more than a simple art project. It has grown into a global phenomenon, exposing our individual aspirations, fantasies, and frailties — our common humanity.
Every day dozens of postcards still make their way to Frank, with postmarks from around the world, touching on every aspect of human experience. This extraordinary collection brings together the most powerful, personal, and beautifully intimate secrets Frank Warren has received — and brilliantly illuminates that human emotions can be unique and universal at the same time.
MY BOOK REVIEW:
I must confess, that I picked up this book solely on its cover. I had no idea what I was getting into until I sat down and started to read.
The experience is both intense and at times, horrifying. I did laugh at some of the entries and thought OMG at others. The whole concept of this book is brilliant and unique, imaginative and very eye-opening. The idea that so many different people from around the world sent anonymous postcards revealing their deepest and sometimes darkest secrets is amazing and unbelievable.
When reading the postcards, you begin to realize that we live in a complicated and vast world filled with so much regret and pain, that you wonder the current priorities of our race. Somewhere along the way, society got lost in discovering the value of life. This book’s postcards show a lot of pain in many, some were silly and fun but the reality of others hits hard to home.
The book format is hardcover, with an extraordinary book jacket. It’s stamped and addressed like a post card. There’s 276 pages of art, humor and an interesting insight into so many lives. Warren is still receiving more postcards, and I imagine he always will. There’s a sequel to this book, I believe, filled with an equal number of postcard secrets.
This is an excellent coffee table book that would provide a lot of discussion. It’s full of reality and quality. I highly recommend it.
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
Show More
— as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before. Be brief. Be legible. Be creative.It all began with an idea Frank Warren had for a community art project. He began handing out postcards to strangers and leaving them in public places — asking people to write down a secret they had never told anyone and mail it to him, anonymously.
The response was overwhelming. The secrets were both provocative and profound, and the cards themselves were works of art — carefully and creatively constructed by hand. Addictively compelling, the cards reveal our deepest fears, desires, regrets, and obsessions. Frank calls them “graphic haiku,” beautiful, elegant, and small in structure but powerfully emotional.
As Frank began posting the cards on his website, PostSecret took on a life of its own, becoming much more than a simple art project. It has grown into a global phenomenon, exposing our individual aspirations, fantasies, and frailties — our common humanity.
Every day dozens of postcards still make their way to Frank, with postmarks from around the world, touching on every aspect of human experience. This extraordinary collection brings together the most powerful, personal, and beautifully intimate secrets Frank Warren has received — and brilliantly illuminates that human emotions can be unique and universal at the same time.
MY BOOK REVIEW:
I must confess, that I picked up this book solely on its cover. I had no idea what I was getting into until I sat down and started to read.
The experience is both intense and at times, horrifying. I did laugh at some of the entries and thought OMG at others. The whole concept of this book is brilliant and unique, imaginative and very eye-opening. The idea that so many different people from around the world sent anonymous postcards revealing their deepest and sometimes darkest secrets is amazing and unbelievable.
When reading the postcards, you begin to realize that we live in a complicated and vast world filled with so much regret and pain, that you wonder the current priorities of our race. Somewhere along the way, society got lost in discovering the value of life. This book’s postcards show a lot of pain in many, some were silly and fun but the reality of others hits hard to home.
The book format is hardcover, with an extraordinary book jacket. It’s stamped and addressed like a post card. There’s 276 pages of art, humor and an interesting insight into so many lives. Warren is still receiving more postcards, and I imagine he always will. There’s a sequel to this book, I believe, filled with an equal number of postcard secrets.
This is an excellent coffee table book that would provide a lot of discussion. It’s full of reality and quality. I highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member sleepydumpling
A wonderful project, fascinating to see many of them in the one place.
LibraryThing member slpenney07
Summary: Secrets captured on postcards.
The Take-Away: Frank Warren started with 3,000 postcards, inviting strangers to send him their secrets as part of an art project. Today, over 100,000 postcards are displayed on his website. Every Sunday, a new set is posted.
I've been reading PostSecret since
I've never mailed in a secret. I've seen mine there.
Recommendation: Make the website part of your regular weekly reading and check out the books too.
The Take-Away: Frank Warren started with 3,000 postcards, inviting strangers to send him their secrets as part of an art project. Today, over 100,000 postcards are displayed on his website. Every Sunday, a new set is posted.
I've been reading PostSecret since
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October 2005. The three books I read this month made me think, laugh and feel a little less stressed. Just the idea of knowing that someone else has the same secret as you makes the burden easier to bear.I've never mailed in a secret. I've seen mine there.
Recommendation: Make the website part of your regular weekly reading and check out the books too.
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LibraryThing member vesuvian
I saw a traveling exhibition of the PostSecret show at the Reading Public Museum in 2006 and I was shocked and fascinated and nauseated and hurt and ultimately very moved by it. I would take friends or family to see it. The book doesn't convey the same feeling as the postcards themselves, though if
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a traveling exhibition is not in your city, well...check out the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member 4sarad
PostSecret is a compilation of postcards that people anonymously mailed to Frank Warren. He passed out thousands of blank postcards requesting people to write a secret on them that they had never told anyone before. He has received more than 10,000 postcards to date, each unique, each carrying a
You cannot help but be sucked into this book. Some of the secrets are funny, others incredibly sad, and some will simply make you nod as you remember when you felt or went through the same thing. PostSecret can be a book to glance through when you have nothing better to do or it can be a sort of healing book, helping you to come to terms with the things you yourself are hiding inside. I enjoyed this book immensely and believe most young adults would too.
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secret, each a work of art.You cannot help but be sucked into this book. Some of the secrets are funny, others incredibly sad, and some will simply make you nod as you remember when you felt or went through the same thing. PostSecret can be a book to glance through when you have nothing better to do or it can be a sort of healing book, helping you to come to terms with the things you yourself are hiding inside. I enjoyed this book immensely and believe most young adults would too.
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LibraryThing member Amzzz
There's something about these books that just draw you in. They're so raw, true and heartfelt. Some make me laugh and others make me teary.
LibraryThing member the_hag
What began as an art project has, I think, become a phenomenon...everywhere I go online these days it seems like Warren and his postcards are being talked about. From m perspective, PostSecret is a wonderfully innovative idea that I think will continue to have an impact on people for years to come!
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There is something very moving about opening up a book and seeing the innermost feelings of others...some that are so spot on to how one has felt in the past and others so alien as to break one's heart...but all are inspiring in their own way. You get humor (some of these are funny beyond description), heartwarming, and even heart-wrenching...they run the gamut of human emotion and drag the reader (willingly and happily) along for the ride. I think what is also great about PostSecret is that it makes for great gift giving...it's private, yet it's public and there is something in there for just about everyone. Warren's book would, most certainly, make a great coffee table book and has the potential to be the fodder for much conversation between families and friends. I'd recommend this without hesitation and I'll definitely be adding a copy to my permanent library. Wonderful stuff...I give it a solid A! There is something universal about this book...I think we can all see a bit of ourselves somewhere in the book and knowing that someone else shares our secret is one of the best feelings there is! Show Less
LibraryThing member ALLLGooD
This book gives you a window into people's darkest places. I felt that sometimes I wasn't supposed to be there, but I'm glad I was there to bear witness
LibraryThing member Heather19
What can I say? This book is simply amazing. I'd heard about this whole "postsecret" thing for a long time, but never seen the book, until one day in an airport bookstore. I couldn't buy it then, but I flipped through it and was hit hard with how many secrets I could actually identify with.
I've
A wonderful, moving, sad/happy/interesting/etc book that really IS all it's hyped up to be.
I've
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heard some people say that the secrets aren't real, that the author just makes them all up... I don't believe that, but even if these secrets aren't all real, it doesn't really matter to me. I think this book, reading these secrets, seeing them on paper, helps a lot of people admit their own secrets. Me included. It feels wonderful to know that I'm not alone, and that maybe one day I'll send a postcard in, and feel the secrets' weight lifting away from me.A wonderful, moving, sad/happy/interesting/etc book that really IS all it's hyped up to be.
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LibraryThing member zerraweth
Physically, it's rather heavy - which is rather bad news if you're ordering it from overseas and paying the postage. Still, definitely good - much the same as the website but all in one hit, it made me laugh out loud in places and nearly cry in others.
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
PostSecret the book is an outgrowth of the website of the same title. Originally meaning to collect the postcards for a community art project, the author left blank postcards in public places, asking people to reveal a secret creatively on a postcard and mail it back to him. Since then, the author
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has continued to receive thousands of these unique postcards. Some of the secrets revealed aren’t particularly secretive; some are humorous; most are sad (the number of secrets involving someone who was raped or molested is a tragic commentary on our society). Each postcard provides an intriguing interplay between text and visuals, as the postcards contain art of all kinds (collage, photograph, sketch, etc.). The book is engrossing and easily read in one sitting (in fact, I read four of the series in one night). The downside is that some of the postcards are blown up for a spread but the book’s pages come together too close to easily read what’s in the center. In addition, most pages fit at least two postcards, some of which are the front and back of the same postcard and some of which are two completely different postcards (and it is not always immediately clear which one of these two scenarios is presented). Show Less
LibraryThing member Djupstrom
Laugh-out-loud funny...and disturbing...a great mix!!
LibraryThing member syrinx_77
One of the most FUN books I have ever encountered. I think I am going to send in one of my own secrets.
LibraryThing member INTPLibrarian
The world is a better place because of PostSecret. This is probably the best of the bunch, but all of them are worth more than 5 stars.
LibraryThing member horacewimsey
I see the handwriting of old friends in every card. At times I would swear that one of the cards was written by an old girlfriend who was so distraught when I broke up with her. A ridiculous notion, of course. Who'd be distraught after ending a relationship with me? But still makes you wonder.
LibraryThing member ragwaine
A work of genius. Great idea and it helps people.
LibraryThing member ashley_schmidt
This book is awesome. A raw and true look into humanity.
LibraryThing member Borg-mx5
An emotionally charged book. The author asked for and collected post cards where people were to write a secret about themselves. People can be painfully honest and painfuly sad. It is amazing what we think.
LibraryThing member sslibrary
Fabulous. While some of the secrets are shocking, what is more shocking is that you can relate to many of them.
LibraryThing member a_crezo
I'll be interviewing Frank Warren in November. To prepare, I've decided to read all the books, including the one he's on tour for now. While he doesn't actually write the books, he does compile them, and it is because of his genius little experiment that we all get to be voyeurs into the minds of
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our peers. So I borrowed this from a girl at work who demanded that I give it back immediately. Lucky for her I read it overnight, or else I'd still have it. It's on my list of books to buy now. Show Less
LibraryThing member Anagarika-Sean
I love these books. Will mine show up in them one day?
LibraryThing member MsCaves
A great project to undertake by the author. The premise of having people send in postcards anonymously with their innermost feeling was an eye opener. The postcards are both heart breaking and filled with dark humor and irony. I am sure that in some ways it has helped a few people feel relief and
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unburdened. Show Less
LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
Most of the time it's not the secrets that mesmerize me, it's the artwork and the creativity used to put words and images together. I have no idea if the "confessions" are true or not, but I enjoy how they are presented.
Awards
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Top Ten — 2007)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005-12-01
Physical description
288 p.; 7.5 inches
ISBN
0060899190 / 9780060899196
UPC
201560899190
Local notes
For the Postsecret project, which was started in October 2004, Warren asked people to write a secret they had never told anyone on a handmade postcard and mail it to him. This resulting compilation is honest and creative.
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