true life

Just yesterday i finished reading a book that i really loved: True Tales of American Life(British edition; American one is entitled "I Thought My Father Was God"), edited by Paul Auster.
Some years ago, Auster was conducting a radio programme in which he asked the audience to send him true stories of real life, in which were involved the more mysterious aspects of life. Stories about small, turning-points in one's life. That was called "The National Story Project". The goal of the project was to collect stories from all over the country, all social classes, all ages, and about every aspect of life.
Auster received more than 4 thousands stories, 180 of which are published in this great book. The goal was hit.
The only work done by Auster was chosing 180 stories, giving each a title and dividing them in chapters, by argument (Dreams, Death, Love, Meditations, Slapstick, Animals, Strangers, etc). All the rest is pure distillation of the moments which make our lives more charming and intense than fiction, sometimes - all the rest is just writing at his very best.

"Sometimes it is good fortune to be abandoned. While we are looking after our losses, our selves may slip back inside" [Ameni Rozsa, An average sadness, which is the last story of the book