“Confessional” isn’t the right word. Maybe “confidant” would be better suited to these tales of victimization, regret, and pain.

I prefer StoryCorps for real life conversations about tough topics.

Craigslist Confessional began as a passion project for Helena Dea Bala, where she provided a listening ear to those who desperately needed an outlet to talk about their struggles and confessions. She merely documented their words, offering no advice, acting as a peer and confidante rather than a therapist.

After reading the introduction to the author and how this project came about, I was very impressed with the commitment and sacrifice that she made in order to capture the stories of strangers. This process was extremely taxing on her mentally, and she quit her unfulfilling job in order to work on it full-time.

It was certainly a mixed bag when it came to the stories. Some of them were extremely poignant, inspiring, and heartfelt, while others seemed less self-aware or hopeless.

I was able to relate to a number of them, while others left me feeling sad and grateful for the childhood and life that I was given. Overall, this is a great collection, and everyone will be able to find stories that really speak to their specific challenges they have had to face.

A collection of short stories that offers up all the feels. I grabbed this on audio and enjoyed it.

The cover said it well—“fans of chicken soup for the soul
Or humans of New York will want to take a look.”
-Publishers Weekly