Humans of New York : Stories

Brandon Stanton's vignettes of New Yorkers on Facebook are captured in this book, 425 glorious pages in all color, complete with their stories. Chances are if you're reading this review you've already liked the Facebook page and follow his portraits regularly. Brandon Stanton went from a college grad working on Wall Street to a photojournalist. His quest to capture people of New York in their daily lives has led to more than 15 million followers, and their heartfelt appreciation for the work he does every day. In his short and poignant stories, combined with beautiful portraits, Brandon captures moments of people's lives, and sometimes an entire life story is captured in a couple of sentences. Many make us cry, some make us laugh, but all of them invariably show us how much we have in common. These posts are read by people across our planet, in every country. And it's heartwarming to see there are people in every country who identify with these stories, as they capture emotions we all have felt some time in our lives. At the very least, we empathize, as these stories give us a window into the subjects' lives. Like most people, I had already read most of the stories in this book on HONY Facebook page already, it's my daily source of inspiration and hope, joy and sadness, and a feeling of connection with others as we all read his stories and then the comments. Sometimes, people share their own stories in the comments that are equally evocative but more often, they are words of encouragement for the person in the portrait. Sometimes, I think the world is becoming increasingly cynical until I read these comments and then I realize all across the world we our connected by our capacity to feel love, and to empathize. That each one of us is just looking for appreciation, a little love, and a little joy, a bond with their family, and above all peace within. It's a powerful realization, that often brings forth tears. My daughter once commented, "On the grayest days of my life, HONY saves me." And she's right. It does. The moment this book came out I had to buy it, as it is a precious collection of these stories, this time not just pictures but the stories that accompany the pictures. But it is even greater joy to not have to surf through all the previous posts on HONY but to hold them in your hand (or possess them in digital format) at one time. I rarely ever buy a hardcover physical book any more, but this one I knew I had to get, and I may still buy the Kindle version. As I read each story all over again, I remember how I felt when I first read it, some are so familiar as I've looked at them again and again as friends reposted them, some are less familiar, but together they all document the human condition, that captures not just the people of New York but all of us, across the globe. Someone once commented HONY should be called HOPE. Not just Humans of New York but Humans of Planet Earth. And they were right.

I bought this as a birthday gift for my roommate, and ended up borrowing it to read before she even had a chance to peruse it! Brandon's stories are all beautiful, whether they are about tragedy, success, love, loss, the unfathomable, or the every day. You don't need to be a literary scholar or academic to understand any of these stories. All you need to be is human - human enough to understand that true compassion and empathy has no race, age, sexual orientation, financial class, social status, or any of those intangible boundaries that we subconsciously build around ourselves and others that lead us to be judgmental and intolerant. Brandon's stories remind us that at the root of it all, we are all human, and we all share common experiences no matter how we've categorized ourselves in society. It sounds cheesy, but reading the Humans of New York facebook page has 100% made me a better person. The happy stories warm my cynical heart. The tragic stories remind me of how much I have to be grateful for every single day. The children's stories remind me that innocence still exists in a world seeped in vanity and corruption. When I've had a bad day, typically for some petty reason, reading a few stories is all I need to snap myself out of my wallowing. When someone behaves rudely to me, HONY reminds me that I don't know what a person has gone through that day, or in their life, that may lead them to act that way. I am wiser, kinder, happier, more forgiving, more sincere, more generous, and just more HUMAN because of a facebook page. Who would've thought?! Sometimes it's nice to take a break from social media though, and it's great to have a collection of these stories off-screen, by my bedside. Buying this book is such a small token of gratitude for the immense work Brandon has done.

I discovered “Humans of New York” after seeing a NY Times article about Brandon Stanton. After looking at the Humans of New York website and twitter feed I was hooked and just had to get the book. I almost always buy kindle books (shelf space/reading in bed) but knew this was a rare treasure that I would want preserved forever in hardback. I was right. No bones about it- I adore this book. The extensive “Look Inside” feature (which for some reason is showing up on the hardcover edition but not the kindle?) and description cover what you can expect from the book so I won’t describe it here. I imagine that some people may wonder “So- pictures and quotes from the subjects, nothing else? What’s the big deal?” That IS the big deal- no comment, no judgement just the humans of New York revealed in stunning photos and their own words. And the photographs ARE stunning. Brandon Stanton is first and foremost a photographer. The photos in this book are absolutely amazing. From the heartbreaking, desolate “I don’t want to live anymore.” to the joyous, riotous colors of “We’re the Eco Adventure Club!” each photo is a gorgeous testament to Stanton’s artistry. And whether combined with a few words or a few paragraphs, you feel that you have met and learned at least a small amount about each person. I bought this thinking that it was something I could read a few pages at a time here and there. And you could do that- except it’s addictive. Reading the book straight through is an experience not to be missed. All the clichés are true- there is a never-ending diversity in humans and their experiences but we are really all the same. There are books that I love and recommend to readers of their genre. But “Humans of New York” transcends genre and is a book every human can enjoy. Whether you are a complete misogynist or a great humanitarian, at minimum the book will fascinate but more likely you will find it as amazing as I do.

I have waited so patiently for this book, and the day finally arrived! As much as I love Brandon Stanton's other books, Humans of New York and Little Humans, this is the one that most closely represents the posts I look forward to reading every day on the Internet. In fact, I left Facebook years ago, and HONY is the only reason I remain on Instagram. It has become my morning paper. The photos were only one piece. Reading stories of random people (and I'll always wonder how Brandon chooses who to interview) has changed me. I now assume that everyone has a story because, chances are, they do. We need to treat everyone we meet with the same compassion because we are completely unaware of their feelings, sense of self worth, past or current life struggles and emotional hardships. We don't know how hard they've worked to either get where they are or to build their dreams just to have them shattered by circumstance. I sincerely hope that Brandon releases a book in the future based on his travels across the globe. My daughter wants to join me for field work to aid Syrian refugees (I'm in a graduate program in global health) because of the stories Brandon Stanton helped to share. He is truly changing the world, not simply by raising millions of dollars for causes we all believe in, but by changing the perspectives of our youth. This is a big deal, and purchasing this book is a wonderful way for you to be a part of this slow transformation of humankind. I cannot recommend this enough. 10 stars!

Book was received promptly and in excellent condition. Seller is a nonprofit with a mission to employ at-risk youth which is a big plus.

I have purchased many of these books to give out as graduation, birthday, and just because gifts. I love that they are always on sale too so I stock up and save them for those times I need to give out a present. The stories remind us so much of humanity, the importance of listenign to people and creating space to listen to someone. I truly recommend this book for anyone that is in need of pick me up, conversation starter, or a way to look at our own life and understand ourselves.

Love this book. I've always loved his international portraits as well; would've been great to see those in the book, in addition to his American portraits. I've always been amazed at the things that people reveal to HONY. It's fascinating how Person A is going about their everyday life, buying fruit or something, and then Person B walks up and asks to take their picture, and then Person A ends up talking about their deepest regrets or secrets or heartbreak or shame or joy. I don't even think about those things, never mind have them queued up on the fly, never mind to share with a stranger, never mind to have shared publicly! But I appreciate Brandon's unique gift for this, and that's he uses his gift for good.

Great book to pick up when you just want to read a little bit. Beautiful pictures alongside heartfelt, funny, and/or thought-provoking stories