After
How We Fight For Our Lives
Saeed Jones2019
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same tender register, still memoir
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother
James McBride
McBride interweaves his own upbringing in Brooklyn with his mother's history as a white, Jewish immigrant raising twelve Black children.
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name
Audre Lorde
A poet recounts her childhood in Harlem and her coming of age as a Black lesbian in the 1950s. She calls the form a biomythography.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls
T Kira Madden2019
A memoir of growing up queer and biracial in Boca Raton. It covers a childhood of wealth, parental addiction, and the search for belonging.
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose-1bleak0
Stealing Buddha's Dinner
Bich Minh Nguyen2007
A Vietnamese immigrant grows up in 1980s Michigan. She navigates her identity through a fascination with American junk food and brand names.
pace-1·prose-1·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak0
The Tender Bar: A Memoir
J.R. Moehringer
A boy grows up in a Long Island bar, seeking father figures among the regulars. It follows his life from childhood through early adulthood.
pace0·prose-1·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-1prose+1bleak-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.
tender → meditative, still memoir
pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+1bleak0
I Am a Strange Loop
Douglas R. Hofstadter2007
A scientist uses mathematical logic and analogies to argue that human consciousness is a self-referential feedback loop.
tender → meditative
pace-1·prose+1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
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.
tender → meditative, still memoir
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
tender → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
The Gulag Archipeligo 1918-1956: An Experiment In Literary Investigation I - Ii.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
A history of the Soviet forced labor camp system based on survivor reports and the author's own imprisonment. It documents state-run repression.
tender → bleak, still memoir
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2
To recover
tender → earnest, still memoir
- pace0prose-2bleak-1
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.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace0prose-2bleak-1
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.
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-2bleak-1
The Pioneer Woman
Ree Drummond2011
A city woman moves to a remote cattle ranch after falling in love with a cowboy. She details her transition to country life and farm chores.
tender → warm, still memoir
pace0·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-2bleak-1
Everything Beautiful in Its Time
Jenna Bush Hager2020
The author reflects on the lives and deaths of her grandparents, including a former President and First Lady. It is a series of personal essays.
tender → warm, still memoir
pace-1·prose-2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
Dust Tracks on a Road
Zora Neale Hurston1942
Hurston recounts her childhood in Florida and her career as an anthropologist. The narrative follows her move from an all-black town to New York.
tender → warm, still memoir
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak+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.
tender → tense, still memoir
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-2bleak-1
Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake
Frank W. Abagnale
A teenager poses as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer to cash millions in fraudulent checks. He evades the FBI across several countries.
tender → playful, still memoir
pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak+1
House to House: An Epic Memoir of War
David Bellavia
An American infantry sergeant provides a room-by-room account of the Second Battle of Fallujah. It focuses on close-quarters urban combat.
tender → tense, still memoir
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor
Clinton Romesha
A Medal of Honor recipient provides a tactical account of the 2009 Battle of Kamdesh at Combat Outpost Keating.
tender → propulsive, still memoir
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
Lions of Kandahar: The Story of a Fight Against All Odds
Rusty Bradley
A Special Forces officer recounts the 2006 battle for Sperwan Ghar. The focus is on tactical decisions during a multi-day engagement.
tender → propulsive, still memoir
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
Slower
- pace-2prose0bleak0
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.
tender → elegiac, still memoir
pace-2·prose0·bleak0
- pace-2prose+1bleak+1
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.
tender → sardonic, still memoir
pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+1bleak-1
Gödel, Escher, Bach
Douglas R. Hofstadter1979
An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.
tender → playful
pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
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.
tender → meditative, still memoir
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
- pace-2prose+1bleak0
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
tender → meditative
pace-2·prose+1·bleak0
Heavier
tender → bleak, still memoir
- pace0prose-2bleak+2
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.
pace0·prose-2·bleak+2
- pace-1prose-1bleak+2
When Rabbit Howls
Truddi Chase1987
A woman and her ninety-two distinct personalities document her history of severe childhood trauma and her journey through therapy.
pace-1·prose-1·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+2
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.
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
- pace0prose-1bleak+2
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.
tender → tense, still memoir
pace0·prose-1·bleak+2
- pace0prose-1bleak+2
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.
pace0·prose-1·bleak+2