Book Review: Letters to a Stranger
original review written 3/5/22
Title: Letter to a Stranger Essays to the ones who Haunt us
Author: Colleen Kinder
Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers, Kimberly Woods, Charley Flyte, Mirai Booth-Ong, Mirron Willis & Ramon del Campo
What's it about?
Who would you write to if you were to write a letter to a stranger that you crossed paths with who has mentally stuck with you since? It's okay. I had to think about it, too. Letters to a Stranger, though, is just that.
It's a collection of letters written by people form all walks of life to a stranger they've come across but can't seem to forget. Some are profound. Some are funny. Some are heart breaking. But all have some sort of meaning.
Thoughts?
This book is hard to talk about because it's so diverse. These letters aren't extremely long but they come together to show a beautiful illustration of people, humanity, hope, love and the goodness that lives in this world. It's a reminder that one person can make a difference. That any interaction we have on any given day can be life changing for someone and I, for one, would like to make it a good, positive difference.
Each of the authors of these letters chose one person whom they didn't know or didn't know very well at all and wrote about the interaction and the impact that interaction had on them. Some say "thank you", some say "I'm sorry" and some just want to know that those strangers are okay. But I can promise that there's something that will resonate with every adult (or most adults at the very least).
I love the concept of this book. The premise alone was enough to make me want to dive in. I love the idea of getting to reach out to those who touched her. I expected a lot of profound epiphanies but was enamored by the vulnerability poured into this book, even from those with no genius wisdom to impart on us. I was thankful for the combination of emotions it offered me, letting me cry during one letter and laugh while reading the next and then nodding with understanding with the one following that one. And never once did I second guess the brilliance of the person who decided that this was something the world needed. In fact, I often found myself wondering who I would write to and what I would say if I were going to write my own letter.
This is a great book to read when you know you don't have the time or energy to indulge in a longer story or continuous books. For me, this is what I call a travel book, a book great for reading in small pieces and taking loner breaks and maybe even walking away for a few days. I'm so glad I was lucky enough to have this ARC land in my lap. Seriously, it's a great non-fiction read.
What do I rate this?
I give this book a
7
out of
10 well wishes
But that's just what I thought. What did you think? Did you love it? Or is it one you wish you'd passed up? Let us know in the comments.
