LitQueuelitqueue

After

A Bloody Business: America's War Zone Contractors And the Occupation of Iraq

Gerry Schumacher

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Huế 1968

    Mark Bowden2017

    A chronological account of the 1968 Tet Offensive battle. It uses interviews from American soldiers, North Vietnamese troops, and civilians.

    cynical → tense, still military history

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • History of the Peloponnesian War

    Thucydides

    A contemporary account of the 5th-century BC conflict between Athens and Sparta. It focuses on military strategy and political speeches.

    cynical → clinical, still military history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1

    Karl Marx2015

    An analysis of the capitalist mode of production focusing on commodities, surplus value, and the exploitation of labor.

    cynical → clinical

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    cynical → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Artemis

    Andy Weir2017

    A porter and smuggler on a lunar colony takes a high-stakes sabotage job to pay off a debt. She uses technical knowledge to solve problems.

    cynical → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Warrior Rising

    P.C. Cast2008

    Goddesses transport a modern woman to ancient Troy to seduce and distract Achilles. It is a lighthearted fish-out-of-water romance.

    cynical → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

    Steven D. Levitt

    An economist uses data to investigate the incentives behind real-world phenomena like cheating teachers and falling crime rates.

    cynical → wry, still journalism

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    Neil deGrasse Tyson2017

    A summary of the origin of the universe, the laws of physics, and the nature of space and time.

    cynical → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Steal Like an Artist

    Austin Kleon2012

    A series of short, illustrated principles for creative work. It focuses on remixing existing ideas and establishing productive daily habits.

    cynical → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Bad Blood

    John Carreyrou2018

    A journalist tracks the rise of Elizabeth Holmes and the eventual exposure of her multibillion-dollar blood-testing startup as a fraud.

    cynical → propulsive, still journalism

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    cynical → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

  • How to Read a Book

    Mortimer J. Adler1940

    This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

    cynical → mysterious

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • The Red Book: Liber Novus

    C.G. Jung2009

    A psychologist records his visions and internal dialogues in an illuminated manuscript created during a period of intense self-exploration.

    cynical → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad

    William Craig

    A chronological account of the 1942-1943 battle between German and Soviet forces. It uses survivor interviews to detail the siege and starvation.

    cynical → bleak, still military history

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Hiroshima

    John Hersey

    The book follows six people in Hiroshima during and after the atomic bombing. It records their movements and physical symptoms.

    cynical → clinical, still journalism

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Columbine

    Dave Cullen2009

    A journalist reconstructs the 1999 school shooting using police records and the killers' journals to debunk common myths.

    cynical → clinical, still journalism

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1