Searching for My Heart: Essays about Love

You're not alone.

Hollow words for any tender soul smiling through the day while hiding a deep sense of loneliness.

For such a soul—like Dawn Downey—the friendliest encounter becomes an exercise in alienation. In her essay titled, "A Traveler's Tale," she describes a stroll through her neighborhood.

"A dust mop of a puppy bounded toward me, her brush tail slicing the air with 'hello come play' and a young woman on the other end of her leash. Straggling behind them was a toddler pushing an umbr...