LitQueuelitqueue

After

So You Want to Talk About Race

Ijeoma Oluo2018

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines

    Joy Buolamwini

    A researcher details her discovery of racial and gender bias in facial recognition software. It tracks her transition from student to activist.

    Same earnest register, still social science

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    earnest → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • Antifragile

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb2012

    A philosophical exploration of systems that thrive under stress and disorder. It argues against fragility in economics and personal life.

    earnest → reflective

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • How to Read a Book

    Mortimer J. Adler1940

    This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

    earnest → mysterious

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank

    Erma Bombeck1976

    A collection of essays observing the daily frustrations and domestic absurdities of suburban family life in the 1970s.

    earnest → playful, still essays

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • When to Rob a Bank

    Steven D. Levitt2015

    A collection of short essays and blog posts applying economic logic to everyday life. Topics range from gambling to the ROI of bank robberies.

    earnest → playful, still essays

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Carry On, Warrior

    Glennon Doyle2013

    A collection of personal essays about marriage, motherhood, and recovery from addiction.

    earnest → warm, still essays

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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.

    earnest → 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.

    earnest → 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.

    Same earnest register

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    earnest → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • How to Read a Book

    Mortimer J. Adler1940

    This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

    earnest → mysterious

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • Self-Reliance and Other Essays

    Ralph Waldo Emerson1993

    A collection of 19th-century lectures advocating for individualism and nonconformity. The prose is dense, formal, and philosophical.

    earnest → meditative, still essays

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    earnest → 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.

    Same earnest register

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+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.

    earnest → bleak

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+2