The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

Gabor Maté

A doctor shares stories from his work with severely addicted patients in Vancouver. He links substance abuse to childhood trauma and brain biology.

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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

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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.

earnest → meditative, still memoir

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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.

earnest → analytical, still psychology

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Till There Was You

Marie Force2019

A man returns to his island home to recover from a tragedy. He finds comfort and a new relationship with a woman he has known for years.

earnest → warm

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Paradise Valley

Robyn Carr2009

A disfigured Marine returns to Virgin River to heal while a newcomer with a criminal past tries to find a place in the community.

earnest → warm

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Driven

K. Bromberg2013

A woman working for a charity meets a volatile race car driver. They navigate a sexual relationship complicated by their respective past traumas.

earnest → tense

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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.

earnest → tender

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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

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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

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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.

earnest → dreamlike, still psychology

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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.

earnest → sardonic, still memoir

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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