Dear My Blank: Secret Letters Never Sent

by Emily Trunko, Lisa Congdon (Illustrator)

Overview

From the popular Tumblr of the same name comes a collection of heart-warming, tear-jerking, and gut-wrenching anonymous letters that people never intended—or didn’t have the courage—to send.
 
The Tumblr Dear My Blank—created by 16-year-old Emily Trunko and followed by over 35,000 people—is now a carefully curated gift book with more than 160 anonymous letters covering a range of topics from heartbreak, unrequited love, and loss, to inspiration, self-awareness, and gratitude.
 
Featuring exclusive content not available on Tumblr, these unsent letters are addressed to secret crushes, lost loved ones, boyfriends, siblings, parents, grandparents, and many more.
 
Art and design by Lisa Congdon enhance these messages, making the book a beautiful keepsake for all readers.

"A visceral and voyeuristic offering that covers the spectrum from fleeting angst to gut-wrenching grief." —Kirkus Reviews

"Stirring and soulful." —Booklist


Praise for the Tumblr Dear My Blank
“An addictive site full of strangers’ secrets.” —Cosmopolitan
 
“A safe haven for hundreds of letters that will never be sent.” —Distractify
 
“Tumblr’s newest obsession.” —Hello Giggles

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399557446
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	11/01/2016
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
Lexile:	HL760L (what's this?)
File size:	47 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Emily Trunko is an astonishing 16-year-old girl from the small town of Copley, Ohio. At age eleven, she started a book review blog called On Emily's Bookshelf, and at age fourteen she created The Clover Chain Project--dedicated to pairing up teens struggling with similar issues, which attracted local media attention. Emily created two Tumblr projects that became Internet sensations and books. Dear My Blank was inspired by her personal notebook of letters that she wrote but never intended to send. And The Last Message Received grew out of her curiosity about life-changing letters, notes, and texts that people have received. Emily continues to be fascinated by the way people connect through the written word.

Editorial Reviews

"The popularity of the Tumblr is a testament to the cache of readers awaiting this title." —SLJ 

From the Publisher

2016-08-30
A selected collection of purposely unsent letters from the popular, eponymous Tumblr.Trunko, a teenager living in Ohio, started a Tumblr that invited users to share letters written but never meant to be sent after collecting a notebook of her own. In this anthology these letters are grouped by subject: "dear me" (letters written to a younger self), "dear world," love, friends, family, heartbreak, unrequited love, betrayal, loss, and "thank you." Each section is set against an illustration or design, giving this both a personal feel and visual interest. Many of the sections have a good amount of overlap, especially those that concentrate on matters of love and love lost. In these instances, they can be a bit repetitive, but the all-too-true anguish makes for a powerful reminder of a real person's torment and helps dilute the redundancy. Readers young and old should be able to find accounts that speak to them, as topics discussed include sexuality, abuse, suicide, divorce, breakups, and gender identity. Often unflinching and palpably emotional, this raw glimpse into the lives of others is both accessible and important. [Editor's note: this review has been revised from the one originally published to reflect changes made to the book since the printing of the advance review copy.] A visceral and voyeuristic offering that covers the spectrum from fleeting angst to gut-wrenching grief. (Nonfiction. 13 & up)

Kirkus Reviews