Many of you are probably familiar with the website Humans of New York, which was started by Brandon Stanton. For those of you who are not, the basic concept is that he approaches strangers in the street to take their photo and get them talking long enough to find an anecdote to share with the picture. All posts are anonymous. He has previously come out with books based upon the website, but this one is special – it covers people from all over the world.
Due to a confluence of various circumstances, I was at a very low point in my life when I came across this book. In fact, I was really not able to read much of anything. But I was able to read this. And it helped immensely in my fight against despair. (BTW, don’t worry, things are looking up now). I feel that this is the perfect book to cheer people up in the face of pandemic restrictions and other forces causing anxiety in today’s world.
The stories range from whimsical, to terrifying, to joyful, to tender, to anger-inducing, to inspirational; and there doesn’t seem to be a subject left untouched, so there is something for nearly anybody to identify with. I cannot recommend this book enough for anybody interested in the human condition across cultures and countries. (Comes out October 6, 2020)