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A review by tx2its
Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers by Helena Dea Bala
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⭐️