For the longest time I thought the Post Secret books and the web site were a bit of a gimmick. It seemed too good to be true to believe that everyone sending those cards was being honest. Also, since so many of the quotes on the cards are tied to the artwork that surrounds them, It seems that some of them must be the work of creative types making a statement through the mail. Maybe it is all art and not cries for help or attention or validation. I don't know; but more significantly, now I don't care.

I love these books.

After awhile I have come around to the point that whether or not the sender of each postcard is telling their own particular truth is not the point; the words they write are most certainly someone's truth and that is really all that matters. Consider these:

We haven't spoken since that night - it was an accident - I swear!

I'm pawning my wedding rings to pay for my therapy.

Everyone of these statements - everyone of these cards - is a novel. In just one sentence you can see great literature; stories that beg to be written. The amount of truth that flows out of these books - that bubbles over and cascades from their pages like a waterfall of personal histories - is very nearly overwhelming. If you don't hear the writer then you will hear a friend or family member or even yourself. "I don't take my medication because it makes my illness real" or "I hope it turns out to be cancer, so I'll finally have an excuse to slow down". I know these people - I know who would write these kinds of things. And in my head I can imagine not only their lives but the lives of hundreds - of thousands - of others who are just like them.

Post Secret is the biggest source of human stories in the world today. In one sentence it is everything about us; everything good and bad about humanity. "Kiss my ass Fibromyalgia, I'm going to enjoy life anyway" or "Sometimes I dream that I am a hero and wake up feeling like I can do anything!"

I own two of the books: My Secret and A Lifetime of Secrets. There are also two others, including one that deals with relationships. My Secret is a collection of postcards from teenagers and college students and would be a pitch perfect gift for any thoughtful teen. But if you know any writer who ever gets stumped than these books are the place to go to for inspiration. The web site is awesome but turning the pages - seeing all that full color artwork right there in front of you - is really a creative kick in the gut. You have the whole world in these books, calling out all of their pain and joy and looking for someone to hear them. They are voices in the dark and I sit hear sometimes consumed with listening; filled up with all that they have to say.

I love these books.