LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America

Christopher C. Gorham

5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from

More like it

Same earnest register, still biography

1 more ↓

  • A Higher Call

    Adam Makos2013

    In 1943, a German fighter pilot chooses not to shoot down a crippled American bomber. The book follows both men before and after the encounter.

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • History of the Peloponnesian War

    Thucydides

    A contemporary account of the 5th-century BC conflict between Athens and Sparta. It focuses on military strategy and political speeches.

    earnest → clinical, still military history

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2

  • 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.

    earnest → clinical

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2

  • 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-1·prose+2·bleak0

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+2·prose-1·bleak0

  • 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+2·prose-1·bleak0

  • 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+2·prose-1·bleak0

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-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-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • 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

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

Heavier

earnest → elegiac, still biography

3 more ↓

  • Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942–1943

    Antony Beevor

    A chronological account of the battle for Stalingrad using primary sources. It details the military strategy and the starvation of soldiers.

    earnest → bleak, still military history

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+3

  • Als die Soldaten kamen: Die Vergewaltigung deutscher Frauen am Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs

    Miriam Gebhardt

    A historical study of the mass sexual violence committed by Allied soldiers in Germany in 1945. It uses archival records and victim testimonies.

    earnest → clinical, still military history

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+3

  • Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad

    William Craig

    A chronological account of the 1942-1943 battle between German and Soviet forces. It uses survivor interviews to detail the siege and starvation.

    earnest → bleak, still military history

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+3