Letter to a Stranger: Essays to the Ones Who Haunt Us

Writing groups looking for prompts to kick start their practice writings would be well advised to use the prompt LETTER TO A STRANGER. This collection of writing demonstrates that through this process of short letters to passersby the writer thinks more deeply about his own life. In the process of reflecting on what a stranger meant to one, one reveals deep, perhaps hidden, truths about one’s own life. The essays are brief little letters to taxi drivers, kind intervenors, vendors, doctors, and passengers. One of the most interesting letters is “To the Child on the Plane”. It reveals how one’s assumptions and projections can be distorted through the lens of our own experiences. Strangely, one of the least effective letters is the one written by the editor of this book. As the essays are brief reflections, most are one or two pages and make for continued reflection by this reader. The subtitle of the book is Essays to the Ones Who Haunt Us. There is an aged breadcrumb buyer in Argentina who continues to haunt the writer, Cutter Wood. As one depends on the kindness of strangers, this letter exemplifies how one can be enlightened by witnessing indifferent cruelty. This is a very interesting book and a great approach to thoughtful writing.