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Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers by Helena Dea Bala
campychick001's review
3.0
This was a great one to listen to on audio due to the anthology-like structure of the book. Every chapter highlights an anonymous Craigslist user who decided to share their life story with the author. The author also includes her own story and the impact these strangers have had on her life. I must warn you that many of these stories are tragic and do not have happy endings, however, I feel like many readers may find certain aspects of the various stories that resonate with them. Even if you can't relate to any of these specific stories, this book will definitely leave you with empathy for all the silent battles we as humans endure daily. My one major issue with this book was the amount of stories that involved infidelity.
ashleystraniero's review
5.0
Thank you to the Publisher, as I received a copy of this book as a Goodreads Giveaway winner.
This book of 40 anonymous stories, was broken into five different sections: Love, Regret, Loss, Identity, and Family. It provides the reader a brief glimpse into 40 strangers’ lives through short narratives on whatever they chose to disclose to the author during their meeting. Some were funny, interesting, and many were dark. Great read for lovers of Humans of New York and Postsecret. Would definitely recommend.
This book of 40 anonymous stories, was broken into five different sections: Love, Regret, Loss, Identity, and Family. It provides the reader a brief glimpse into 40 strangers’ lives through short narratives on whatever they chose to disclose to the author during their meeting. Some were funny, interesting, and many were dark. Great read for lovers of Humans of New York and Postsecret. Would definitely recommend.
sbojo32's review
2.0
It is hard to rate this book because it is real people's stories. However, it was equally hard to read as it was easy to devour. I know that doesn't make a ton of sense, but the stories were intriguing. They were short enough for you to get invested, but long enough that enough details are given. I think the biggest issue is that the stories are all of people who got a raw deal at life. Not all of them have happy endings... in fact, most don't. But that is what makes it real.
I guess I just wish there were more happy stories to balance out the sad and depressing ones. I loved the idea of strangers sharing their secrets and stories. I love reading PostSecret, and I was hoping for a bit of a balance, like that site has been able to do. I wanted a little more humor, smiles, and just hope for humanity.
I'm pretty sure the last story in the book is the author's, which I really love. I really wanted to love all of this book, but it was depressing. Trigger warnings should be given to anyone who gets triggered because this book has it all... and if this is humanity, we're all in trouble.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.
I guess I just wish there were more happy stories to balance out the sad and depressing ones. I loved the idea of strangers sharing their secrets and stories. I love reading PostSecret, and I was hoping for a bit of a balance, like that site has been able to do. I wanted a little more humor, smiles, and just hope for humanity.
I'm pretty sure the last story in the book is the author's, which I really love. I really wanted to love all of this book, but it was depressing. Trigger warnings should be given to anyone who gets triggered because this book has it all... and if this is humanity, we're all in trouble.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.
cunningempress's review
3.0
DNF at 46% just because I wasn't in the mood for this anymore.
Some of these stories made me bawl my eyes out and at one point I was barely able to breathe so that made me kinda hesitant to pick this up again.
This is something that I might come back to someday if I feel like it.
Some of these stories made me bawl my eyes out and at one point I was barely able to breathe so that made me kinda hesitant to pick this up again.
This is something that I might come back to someday if I feel like it.
agirlandabook85's review
4.0
Inspired after a conversation with a homeless man Helena posted an ad on Craigslist promising to listen, anonymously and for free, to whatever the speaker felt they wanted to say but was unable to tell anyone else. This book tells us what 44 of those people had to say. Ranging from devastating trauma to lost love, we hear reflections on hard choices and some deeply disconcerting admissions from others and in contrast we also are provided some really heartwarming ones.
As a lover of biographies and memoirs I have a fascination with people’s stories. I am often guilty of people watching trying to imagine who they are and what secrets they may be keeping. One of my favourite songs as a teenager was Traffic by the Stereophonics in which a lady is glimpsed for a second in traffic and we hear all the possibilities of who she might be. So a book compiled with 44 people telling their deepest and darkest secrets, feelings, regrets they held in their soul anonymously really appealed to me.
Now when I say deepest and darkest I do not mean that lightly! This book covers some difficult subjects and comes with a long long list of content warnings (see below). It is rare that a book upsets me, I often empathise with characters / subjects and feel emotional but some of the stories told within this book created a visceral rush of emotions. I will warn you I had to stop listening at parts and take some time away before recommencing, it was that overwhelming.
You may wonder why I continued, but despite such depressing and harrowing stories there ultimately was real and fascinating people behind those words and I felt that they deserved to have their stories heard. I also found some parts really inspirational which showed the true strength of the human spirit to survive.
This is definitely one I would recommend if you have an interest in true life stories but that recommendation comes with caution and awareness of its contents, I have included some CWs below.
Serious illness, cancer, paedophilia, arranged marriage, domestic abuse, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, addiction (drug, alcohol, social media, sex), suicidal thoughts/ attempts, adultery/ relationship breakdowns, transitioning, death of a loved one, transphobia, homophobia, dementia/ Alzheimer’s, verbal abuse, gaslighting, depression, severe anxiety, sexual assault, rape, prostitution, child abuse, abortion, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, PTSD, self-harm, SIDS/ infant death, weight gain, eating disorders (inc. bulimia), medical negligence … and probably more
As a lover of biographies and memoirs I have a fascination with people’s stories. I am often guilty of people watching trying to imagine who they are and what secrets they may be keeping. One of my favourite songs as a teenager was Traffic by the Stereophonics in which a lady is glimpsed for a second in traffic and we hear all the possibilities of who she might be. So a book compiled with 44 people telling their deepest and darkest secrets, feelings, regrets they held in their soul anonymously really appealed to me.
Now when I say deepest and darkest I do not mean that lightly! This book covers some difficult subjects and comes with a long long list of content warnings (see below). It is rare that a book upsets me, I often empathise with characters / subjects and feel emotional but some of the stories told within this book created a visceral rush of emotions. I will warn you I had to stop listening at parts and take some time away before recommencing, it was that overwhelming.
You may wonder why I continued, but despite such depressing and harrowing stories there ultimately was real and fascinating people behind those words and I felt that they deserved to have their stories heard. I also found some parts really inspirational which showed the true strength of the human spirit to survive.
This is definitely one I would recommend if you have an interest in true life stories but that recommendation comes with caution and awareness of its contents, I have included some CWs below.
Serious illness, cancer, paedophilia, arranged marriage, domestic abuse, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, addiction (drug, alcohol, social media, sex), suicidal thoughts/ attempts, adultery/ relationship breakdowns, transitioning, death of a loved one, transphobia, homophobia, dementia/ Alzheimer’s, verbal abuse, gaslighting, depression, severe anxiety, sexual assault, rape, prostitution, child abuse, abortion, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, PTSD, self-harm, SIDS/ infant death, weight gain, eating disorders (inc. bulimia), medical negligence … and probably more
amandabales's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was going to be a five star read for me. A part of me loves prying into people’s lives, I’ll admit. I considered becoming a therapist at one point - secrets and helping people? Count me in.
Where this fell short was that it was so incredibly depressing. The stories started to run together. There were a few that were more uplifting, but I wish the author had distributed them throughout the book. By the time it ended, I was over the sad stories. I was hoping she’d tie everything together with some happier tales at the end, but that didn’t happen.
Where this fell short was that it was so incredibly depressing. The stories started to run together. There were a few that were more uplifting, but I wish the author had distributed them throughout the book. By the time it ended, I was over the sad stories. I was hoping she’d tie everything together with some happier tales at the end, but that didn’t happen.
tx2its's review
2.0
Reading 2020
Book 121: Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers
Book by Helena Dea Bala
Read this book for my IRL book club as well as the Six Spotlight Buddy Read on Instagram.
The book is a series of stories that the author heard from people who answered her Craigslist ad. People could meet with Helena in a neutral location and tell any story about themselves they wanted, no judgement, no conversation except some clarifying questions, all anonymous. Then the stories were classified in categories and the book was born. Love, Regret, Loss, Family and Identity were all subtitles in the book.. The author was a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., was not making very much money, and was not happy at her job. She talked with a homeless man that panhandled near her building in D.C. and she felt a calling to listen to people's stories.
Saw lots of raves about this book before I started it. From the first category, Love, I was not a fan. This is a case of wrong book, wrong time. This book did not give me anything except bad feels, there were few happy endings, and so much trauma, devastation, and tragedy all in one place to read one after the other. It is liked being punched in gut story after story. I will not be recommending this book. I am not sure how the author made through listening to 10 of these a week. I do not regret reading the book, always good to get new perspectives. My rating is for the yucky feeling I had reading the book, 2⭐️
Book 121: Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers
Book by Helena Dea Bala
Read this book for my IRL book club as well as the Six Spotlight Buddy Read on Instagram.
The book is a series of stories that the author heard from people who answered her Craigslist ad. People could meet with Helena in a neutral location and tell any story about themselves they wanted, no judgement, no conversation except some clarifying questions, all anonymous. Then the stories were classified in categories and the book was born. Love, Regret, Loss, Family and Identity were all subtitles in the book.. The author was a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., was not making very much money, and was not happy at her job. She talked with a homeless man that panhandled near her building in D.C. and she felt a calling to listen to people's stories.
Saw lots of raves about this book before I started it. From the first category, Love, I was not a fan. This is a case of wrong book, wrong time. This book did not give me anything except bad feels, there were few happy endings, and so much trauma, devastation, and tragedy all in one place to read one after the other. It is liked being punched in gut story after story. I will not be recommending this book. I am not sure how the author made through listening to 10 of these a week. I do not regret reading the book, always good to get new perspectives. My rating is for the yucky feeling I had reading the book, 2⭐️
kristensreadingnook's review
4.0
Helena Dea Bala quit her job at a DC lobby firm where she found no fulfillment to listen to people’s stories as an impartial bystander. It began with talking to Joe, a homeless man outside her office building. She realized how much she enjoyed just listening and getting to know the stories of others who were different from her. So, she put an add on Craigslist asking if anyone wanted to tell her their story, and the emails poured in. 5 years after quitting her lobbying job, she is still listening to people’s stories.
This book is broken up into 5 sections - love, regret, loss, identity, and family, and there are 8 stories in each section. The lives represented are incredibly varied. Some are inspiring, some are heartbreaking, and some will leave you scratching your head.
I highly recommend this book to everyone to break out of our small boxes of our own lives and see what it’s like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. That said, there are definitely content warnings including all sorts of abuse, death, and eating disorders.
This book is broken up into 5 sections - love, regret, loss, identity, and family, and there are 8 stories in each section. The lives represented are incredibly varied. Some are inspiring, some are heartbreaking, and some will leave you scratching your head.
I highly recommend this book to everyone to break out of our small boxes of our own lives and see what it’s like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. That said, there are definitely content warnings including all sorts of abuse, death, and eating disorders.
debi_g's review
2.0
“Confessional” isn’t the right word. Maybe “confidant” would be better suited to these tales of victimization, regret, and pain.
I prefer StoryCorps for real life conversations about tough topics.
I prefer StoryCorps for real life conversations about tough topics.