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A review by kristensreadingnook
Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers by Helena Dea Bala
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.