PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives by Frank Warren (2005, Hardcover)

Synopsis
Frank Warren's revolutionary project began with 3,000 postcards asking for anonymous secrets from strangers, and blossomed into thousands of people bravely sending him raw, emotional, and occasionally funny confessions, some of which are collected in this fascinating book. Displayed in a variety of ways, from postcard-sized disclosures to testimonials that sprawl across the page, they portray moments of pain, joy, and realization. A photograph of a bride and groom with faces obscured is captioned with "I know he doesn't love me anymore," while another card focuses on a vegetarian's secret desires for meat. With issues varying from molestation and adultery to not caring about the environment and faking orgasms, these 4x6 cards are windows into humanity. With full-color illustrations and photographs, as well as multimedia collages.

Key Details
Author:	Frank Warren
Language:	English
Publisher:	William Morrow & Co
Format:	Hardcover
ISBN-10:	0060899190
ISBN-13:	9780060899196

Size
Length:	276 pages
Thickness:	1.2 in
Weight:	39.2 oz

Publisher's Note

The project that captured a nation's imagination.

The instructions were simple, but the results were extraordinary.

"You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything -- as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before. Be brief. Be legible. Be creative."

It all began with an idea Frank Warren had for a community art project. He began handing out postcards to strangers and leaving them in public places -- asking people to write down a secret they had never told anyone and mail it to him, anonymously.

The response was overwhelming. The secrets were both provocative and profound, and the cards themselves were works of art -- carefully and creatively constructed by hand. Addictively compelling, the cards reveal our deepest fears, desires, regrets, and obsessions. Frank calls them "graphic haiku," beautiful, elegant, and small in structure but powerfully emotional.

As Frank began posting the cards on his website, PostSecret took on a life of its own, becoming much more than a simple art project. It has grown into a global phenomenon, exposing our individual aspirations, fantasies, and frailties -- our common humanity.

Every day dozens of postcards still make their way to Frank, with postmarks from around the world, touching on every aspect of human experience. This extraordinary collection brings together the most powerful, personal, and beautifully intimate secrets Frank Warren has received -- and brilliantly illuminates that human emotions can be unique and universal at the same time.