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After

Inheritance

Dani Shapiro2019

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same earnest register, still memoir

1 more ↓

  • Finding Me

    Viola Davis2022

    Viola Davis recounts her life from childhood poverty in Rhode Island to her career as an actor. It focuses on identity and self-acceptance.

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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+2·bleak0

  • 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+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    earnest → bleak, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    earnest → playful, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Whiskey in a Teacup

    Reese Witherspoon2018

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

    earnest → warm, still memoir

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-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.

    Same earnest register, still memoir

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    earnest → tense, still memoir

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

  • 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.

    earnest → propulsive, still memoir

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

  • 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.

    earnest → propulsive, still memoir

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    earnest → playful

    pace-2·prose+2·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+2·bleak0

  • 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+2·bleak0

Heavier

earnest → bleak, still memoir

3 more ↓

  • 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·prose+1·bleak+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.

    earnest → tense, still memoir

    pace0·prose0·bleak+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·prose0·bleak+2