I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Edited by Smith Magazine (Review)

Product Description From Amazon:
One life. Six words. What's yours?

True tales of love, loss, good friends, and bad hair days filled Not Quite What I Was Planning, the New York Times bestselling first book in the Six-Word Memoir series—and an international phenomenon. Some of the most compelling were by teens, so now SMITH Magazine has compiled a book written entirely by these bold, brash truth-tellers. From cancer to creativity, prom dates to promiscuity, and breaking hearts to breaking laws, the memoirs in this collection reveal that often the youngest writers have the most fascinating stories to tell.

"Met online; love before first sight."

"Hair's pink to piss you off."

"I fulfilled my awkwardness quota today."

"I'm seventeen, engaged, and not pregnant."

"My mom had my boyfriend deported."

"Late for school every single day."

"According to Facebook, we broke up."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fans of FML, FOUND, Post Secret, and MLIA will LOVE “I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets”. It’s funny, thought provoking, and sometimes so deeply moving that you literally have to stop reading--to wonder, shiver, cry, think, feel, love, hate, want, see, know, have, be-- before you can go on. Truly stunning and visionary, this book is definitely one of my favorite books of the year, and one that I can’t recommend enough.

I read it in one sitting, but it’s one of those books that’s nice to take in little pieces too. The idea is that every entry consists of only six words, which means, six words that tell you’re life story, or highlight a particularly important turning point in your life or something that you might be going through at the time.

With every memoir you either smile to yourself or start sobbing HARD at the graciously shared piece of another persons life offered up to the world in one giant neon sign that reads, “You are not alone,” to the youth of America.

And the awesome thing is that as you’re reading it you suddenly feel this deep sense of connection; to the world, to your own life, your family, your friends, people you hardly know, people you would be nervous to get to know, people who seem superficial, people to seem lost—everyone and everything—and it’s happy, and sad, and satisfying, and lovely, and hungry, and desperate, and beautiful, and—

Yeah. Please read this one guys, pick it up at the bookstore and just read a few to see what I mean, or even check out the Smith Magazine site and read some of the entries there—anything so long as you take a moment to take this in, because it seriously is so humbling, and just… well, epic. It’s a really great read and one you’ll definitely re-read and want to pass on to everyone you know and care about, and even to people you may not know. It’s a book to be shared; please read it, and spread the word. You are not alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please donate books to HomeBase Youth Services and Get ten extra entries in my Hush, Hush giveaway for donating! More info here!

xoxoxo