A Lifetime of Secrets: A PostSecret Book

A Lifetime of Secrets: A PostSecret Book
Frank Warren
William Morrow
ISBN: 0-06-123860-0
Non-Fiction, Art; Popular Culture, Collections
Reviewed by Tanya Boudreau

People all over the world are entrusting Frank Warren with their secrets. Secrets that have never been spoken are being written onto postcards and released in the mail. They are read by Warren and then shared. The postcards Warren chose for his new book A Lifetime of Secrets come from people as young as eight years old. One child writes “My mom thinks she’s fat, I think she’s perfect”. An adult writes “I still remember my rapist’s birthday”.

A Lifetime of Secrets contains a collection of postcards displaying wishes, regrets, painful memories, embarrassing moment, and many confessions. Sometimes the secrets do cause a laugh though, or a head nod of recognition. One person writes “Everyone thinks I drink coffee…I hate coffee. It’s really grape Kool-Aid”, and another person writes “No one ever smiles in the before photo”. Some secrets are shocking but several are touching. One of my favorite postcards shows a hand with an engagement ring. Written on the card are the words “You will make a beautiful bride even if it does rain today”. I also like the postcard that says “I’m going to change the world!”

One or two postcards appear on each page, and to incorporate the wider sizes, postcards have been flipped sideways on the page. Some of the postcards encompass the entire page, and black or white background colors were chosen to frame the smaller postcards. This is a striking book to see. Although these postcards have been sent anonymously, they are each uniquely personalized. They have been created or modified to reflect the secrets they carry.

Frank Warren is a small business owner living in Maryland with his wife and daughter. His website postsecret.blogspot.com has won awards and his PostSecret project has received recognition from the National Mental Health Association.

Because people have sent in their secrets to Frank Warren, others have benefited. I recommend this book.