Skeletons in the Closet. How Our Secret Life Manages the Manifest

What could you possibly have in common with Tony Soprano, Edward Snowden, or the author of this book? What unites you, a fictional character from a popular series, a world-famous troublemaker, and an associate professor at Columbia University? Secrets! It would not be an exaggeration to say that, apart from you, about eight billion other people inhabiting our planet are hiding certain information from those around them for various reasons. Some secrets pose a threat to state and public security, while others are not worth a dime. However, Michael Slepian is convinced that all of them constitute a crucial part of our lives and identities, and how we deal with them — whether we keep them or spill them, whether we feel burdened by them or strive to possess them — shapes both our inner world and the way we interact with the outer world.