LitQueuelitqueue

After

Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed - A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings

Michelle Knight

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same earnest register, still memoir

1 more ↓

  • The Polygamist's Daughter

    Anna LeBaron2017

    The daughter of cult leader Ervil LeBaron recounts her childhood spent hiding from the FBI and living in poverty within a polygamist sect.

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    earnest → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak-1

  • No Archive Will Restore You

    Julietta Singh2018

    The author examines the history of her own body through the lens of race, desire, and pain. It is a collection of fragments and academic theory.

    earnest → meditative, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak-1

  • The Argonauts

    Maggie Nelson2015

    A memoir of the author's relationship with her partner and her pregnancy. It mixes personal narrative with academic theory on gender and family.

    earnest → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak-2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Safe Haven

    Nicholas Sparks2010

    A woman with a dark secret arrives in a small North Carolina town and cautiously begins a relationship with a widowed store owner.

    Same earnest register

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-2

  • The Book of Hope

    Jane Goodall2021

    A dialogue-based book where Jane Goodall discusses her life's work and her reasons for remaining optimistic about the environment.

    Same earnest register, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

    Stephen King

    Stephen King details his personal history with writing and provides a technical guide to the mechanics of the craft.

    earnest → warm, still memoir

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • American Kingpin

    Nick Bilton2017

    This account follows Ross Ulbricht as he builds the Silk Road dark web market and the federal agents who spend years tracking him down.

    earnest → propulsive, still true crime

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

    Jon Krakauer

    A journalist recounts the 1996 Everest disaster. He details the logistical failures and the storm that killed several climbers.

    earnest → tense, still memoir

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    earnest → propulsive, still true crime

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • The Education of Henry Adams

    Henry Adams

    A man writes a sardonic third-person account of his life and his failure to adapt to the technological shifts of the late 19th century.

    earnest → sardonic, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

  • No Archive Will Restore You

    Julietta Singh2018

    The author examines the history of her own body through the lens of race, desire, and pain. It is a collection of fragments and academic theory.

    earnest → meditative, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak-1

  • M Train

    Patti Smith2015

    A musician travels to various cafes and gravesites around the world. She reflects on her late husband, her favorite books, and her daily rituals.

    earnest → elegiac, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Broken

    Shy Keenan2008

    The author recounts years of severe physical and sexual abuse by her parents. It follows her journey toward survival and activism.

    earnest → bleak, still memoir

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

  • The Fact of a Body

    Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich2017

    A lawyer investigates a 1992 murder case while confronting her own history of childhood trauma. It blends true crime with personal memoir.

    earnest → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • A Child Called "It"

    Dave Pelzer1987

    A memoir of the author's childhood survival against severe physical and psychological abuse by his mother in California.

    earnest → bleak, still memoir

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1