Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers

Quartz columnist Bala makes an auspicious debut with a collection of true stories first published in her column. In 2014, Bala was a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., who was unhappy with her life and high-pressure job, but felt unable to complain about her seemingly privileged life to anyone. After she confided in a stranger, she went in search of similar stories from others. Her post on Craigslist, “Tell me about yourself,” yielded an influx of submissions, 40 of which are collected here. In one, a young undocumented man discloses the trauma of enduring a manipulative and ultimately acrimonious green card marriage. In another, a woman who feels lingering embarrassment over the extreme poverty in which she grew up works and hustles relentlessly in order to keep up an image of being “competent, educated, worthy, superior.” Elsewhere, a man who becomes a stay-at-home dad after suffering a back injury and losing his job confesses that he feels emasculated in the eyes of his wife. Fans of Chicken Soup for the Soul or Humans of New York will want to take a look. Agent: Jeff Kleinman, Folio. (July)