Journal Writing for the Secretly Challenged

Of all the psychological advancements of the 20th century, uncensored self-revelation is the one perhaps best left behind.

In a fill-in-the-blank journal, “All About Me” (Broadway Books, $12), photographer-turned author Philipp Keel offers pages of questions designed to chart your personality for posterity.

And that’s the problem.

Touted as a tool for self-discovery, or even a game, the book is about as deep as a Cosmopolitan magazine quiz and about as dangerous as a really bad therapist.

Some questions are innocent parlor-game chatter. But several sections help the writer plumb depths best left alone. As in:

“As an adult, you have hit a woman. If yes, why?”

“The approximate number of sexual partners you have had.” (There’s a blank for “over 100.”)

“When discussing your love life with others, you tend to: A. Exaggerate. B. Understate C. Be factual.” (How about, D. Keep it to yourself?)

“You have read someone’s diary or gone through someone’s private belongings without permission.” Yes or no.

There’s even a spot to record three things you dislike about your mother.

This book, left anywhere but under lock and key, almost surely guarantees nasty consequences that will last well into the millennium.

“All About Me” is perhaps a last-resort confessional for TV talk-show rejects, but it’s more likely a recipe for family discord. For a really bad time, take it to your next party.