![GrannyGamer avatar](/pub/profile/avatars/02/6002/523996002.jpg)
Like any collection, there are a few selections that should have been left out, but for the most part, these are wonderful stories told by real people -- heart-warming, heart-breaking, poignant, funny, sad and everything in between. Kind of like a less sappy version of the "Chicken Soup" books. I loved them, and the story behind how they came to be told on NPR.
![sari-lynn avatar](/pub/profile/avatars/87/1287/351751287.jpeg)
Editor Paul Auster has collected a large number of mini-memoirs, ranging from a few paragraphs to a few pages in length, and organized them into sections: Animals, Objects, Families, Slapstick, Strangers, War, Love, Death, Dreams, and Meditations. The essays range from those that didn't grab me to ones that were truly delightful! It's good "bathroom reading", meaning you can open to any page and read, without having to have read what came before. It's also great for when you're waiting for an appointment or for a friend to show up. I kept it on my desk at work, for days when I'd find a few minutes to read after lunch.
![crackabook avatar](/pub/profile/avatars/82/1982/541601982.jpg)
Paul Auster NPR's Weekend All Things Considered program to tell stories. One of NPR's most popular features. Auster decided to cull the top works and make them available in this work.