Guantánamo Diary

A Living Remedy

Nicole Chung2023

A daughter recounts her parents' declining health and the failures of the American healthcare system. It is a memoir about grief and class.

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Either/Or

Søren Kierkegaard1992

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

elegiac → meditative

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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.

elegiac → meditative, still memoir

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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.

elegiac → sardonic, still memoir

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Untamed

Glennon Doyle2020

A woman recounts leaving her marriage and rebuilding her life after falling in love with another woman. It is a series of personal manifestos.

elegiac → earnest, still memoir

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Unfinished

Priyanka Chopra Jonas2021

The actress details her childhood in India, her time in American schools, and her transition from pageantry to a global film career.

elegiac → earnest, still memoir

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Whiskey in a Teacup

Reese Witherspoon2018

Reese Witherspoon shares recipes, interior design tips, and personal stories centered on Southern lifestyle and hospitality.

elegiac → warm, still memoir

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The Sun and Her Flowers

Rupi Kaur2017

A collection of short, illustrated poems organized into five stages of growth. It covers themes of loss, trauma, and self-healing.

elegiac → earnest

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Pillow Thoughts

Courtney Peppernell2016

A collection of short poems and prose pieces organized by emotional state. It focuses on themes of heartbreak, healing, and loneliness.

elegiac → tender

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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.

elegiac → playful

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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.

elegiac → sardonic, still memoir

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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.

elegiac → meditative, still memoir

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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.

Same elegiac register, still memoir

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Wasted

Marya Hornbacher1998

A detailed memoir of the author's decade-long struggle with anorexia and bulimia. It documents hospitalizations and the physical decay of the body.

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A House in the Sky

Amanda Lindhout2013

A freelance journalist is kidnapped in Somalia and held for fifteen months. The memoir details her captivity and the conditions she endured.

elegiac → tense, still memoir

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A River in Darkness

Masaji Ishikawa2018

A man describes his thirty-six years living in North Korea after moving there from Japan. He recounts extreme poverty and his eventual escape.

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