A friend of mine bought me the Humans of New York Stories book this past summer. I didn’t think much of it. It’s a book full of pictures and quotes of people. The quotes are from what the people said right after the picture were taken, or are responses to questions the photographer asked them. Seems bland and boring, right? I was wrong; no shocker there. The book was a portal of lives, glances, and chunks of people’s stories writhing to be unleashed.

As I looked deeper into the book, I couldn’t help but smile, laugh, and cry. Every emotion possible seemed to occur. Every response caused an uproar of different emotions to spring alive within me. It was a realization of what people are like. The book shows how every human is different and how every human has a different response, a different story to unravel. It’s a beautiful way to display the true innocence and voice of people who surround us in our daily lives that we never even glance toward.

As you look at the pictures you seem to think of what their response will be. It’s as if you think you know what will come out of them. But text right below those pictures proves you wrong. You don’t know what that person has experienced or what that person has lost or gained. But it just proves the idea that no one will ever be the same as the next. We humans just like to think we know everything. That idea and thought needs to be looked at closer and cherished more.

Humans of New York is more than a book; it’s a set of glasses that allow you a short view into what someone else’s life is like. It’s a refresher and reminder of life and the bumps that come along the ride.  It’s a must read for those nights of wonder and fear.

The next day I went to my friend’s house and thanked her for buying me a book that had shown me the world and the stories and memories I so desperately want to gain but can’t confined in a room struggling through coursework and assignments. Humans of New York awakened a deep passion for traveling and discovering what there is in the world. It drove me to want nothing more than to be a part of these stories and experience them along with the writers.