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Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts

Carol Tavris

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Body Keeps the Score

    Bessel van der Kolk2014

    A psychiatrist explains how trauma affects the nervous system and brain. It combines scientific research with case studies of survivors.

    wry → clinical, still psychology

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • The Righteous Mind

    Jonathan Haidt2012

    A social psychologist examines the intuitive origins of human morality. He explains how these instincts drive political and religious divides.

    wry → analytical, still psychology

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  • 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.

    wry → dreamlike, still psychology

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • Doktor Faustus

    Thomas Mann1948

    A composer trades his soul for musical genius as his life and the rise of Nazi Germany are chronicled by a concerned friend.

    wry → elegiac

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To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Gifts of Imperfection

    Brené Brown2010

    A guide to living through the concepts of courage, compassion, and connection. It focuses on embracing vulnerability to achieve self-acceptance.

    wry → earnest, still psychology

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  • Surrounded by Idiots

    Thomas Erikson2014

    A guide to a four-color personality model designed to help readers categorize and communicate with different behavioral types in the workplace.

    Same wry register, still psychology

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  • Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

    John Gray1992

    A guide to heterosexual relationships that attributes communication conflicts to inherent psychological differences between men and women.

    wry → earnest, still psychology

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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.

    wry → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    wry → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Poke the Box

    Seth Godin2011

    A short manifesto encouraging readers to start projects and take initiative. It argues that the greatest risk is staying in place.

    wry → earnest

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • The Interpretation of Dreams

    Sigmund Freud1994

    Freud analyzes his own dreams and those of his patients to argue that every dream is the fulfillment of a repressed wish.

    wry → clinical, still psychology

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

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

    wry → meditative

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  • 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.

    wry → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

wry → elegiac, still psychology

3 more ↓

  • The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide

    Robert Jay Lifton

    A psychological study of how physicians in the Third Reich rationalized their participation in the Holocaust. It uses interviews with survivors.

    wry → clinical, still psychology

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Animal Farm

    George Orwell1945

    Farm animals overthrow their human owner to run the farm themselves. The pigs gradually seize control and establish a new hierarchy.

    wry → sardonic

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • The Diary of a Young Girl

    Anne Frank2001

    A Jewish teenager records her daily life and thoughts while hiding from the Nazis in a secret annex in Amsterdam.

    wry → earnest

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+2