After
The Age of AI and Our Human Future
Henry Kissinger
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
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Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World
Mo Gawdat
A former Google executive outlines the trajectory of AI development. He argues that human behavior will determine if AI becomes a threat.
clinical → earnest, still technology
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Feminine Mystique
Betty Friedan1963
A 1963 sociological study of the systemic unhappiness of American housewives. It uses interviews and data to critique the domestic ideal.
Same clinical register
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- pace0prose0bleak0
Why Nations Fail
Daron Acemoğlu2012
A study of how inclusive versus extractive political and economic institutions determine the long-term prosperity or poverty of nations.
Same clinical register
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- pace0prose0bleak0
Green Illusions
Ozzie Zehner2012
A researcher argues that green technologies like solar and wind have significant environmental costs and fail to address overconsumption.
Same clinical register
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1 more ↓ ↑
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How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
Bill Gates2021
A technical proposal for reaching net-zero emissions. It breaks down the sources of carbon and suggests policy and technological solutions.
Same clinical register
pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose
- pace-1prose+2bleak-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.
clinical → playful
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-1prose+2bleak0
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
clinical → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+2bleak+1
Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison
Michel Foucault
A philosophical history examines the shift from public torture to modern prison surveillance. It analyzes how power controls the body.
Same clinical register
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace0prose+2bleak+1
Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies
Nick Bostrom
An analysis of the risks posed by artificial intelligence reaching human-level cognition. It maps out potential control problems and outcomes.
Same clinical register, still technology
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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.
clinical → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

To recover
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Neon Gods
Katee Robert2021
In a modern city-state, Persephone flees an arranged marriage to Zeus by entering the underworld. She strikes a deal with Hades to stay there.
clinical → tense
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- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Playing with Fire
Gena Showalter2006
A barista gains elemental superpowers after being poisoned and must flee from a government agent. They eventually work together to escape.
clinical → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
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Fifty Shades of Grey
E.L. James2000
A college student enters a sexual contract with a wealthy businessman. The story focuses on their power dynamics and BDSM encounters.
clinical → earnest
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
David and Goliath
Malcolm Gladwell2013
A series of case studies arguing that perceived disadvantages can become strengths. It covers topics from dyslexia to the civil rights movement.
clinical → earnest
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Hardline
Meredith Wild2015
A software executive and a billionaire navigate a relationship complicated by corporate takeover attempts and sexual power dynamics.
clinical → tense
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster
- pace+2prose-1bleak0
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.
clinical → earnest
pace+2·prose-1·bleak0

- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
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.
clinical → tender
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-1bleak-1
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.
clinical → playful
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+2prose-1bleak-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.
clinical → playful
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+2prose-1bleak-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.
clinical → earnest
pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1
Slower
- pace-1prose+2bleak-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.
clinical → playful
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-1prose+2bleak0
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
clinical → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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.
clinical → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
clinical → mysterious
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- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
clinical → dreamlike
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
Heavier
- pace+1prose0bleak+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.
clinical → sardonic
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

- pace0prose0bleak+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.
clinical → earnest
pace0·prose0·bleak+2

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak+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.
clinical → bleak
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+2

- pace+1prose0bleak+2
Twelve Years a Slave
Solomon Northup1853
A memoir by a free Black man from New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. He details twelve years of labor on Louisiana plantations.
clinical → earnest
pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

- pace+1prose+1bleak+2
Hiroshima
John Hersey
The book follows six people in Hiroshima during and after the atomic bombing. It records their movements and physical symptoms.
Same clinical register
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2
