
After
The Cult of Trump
Steven Hassan2019
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same clinical register, still psychology
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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.
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Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men
Lundy Bancroft
A counselor explains the patterns and internal logic of abusive and controlling men. It categorizes specific types of manipulative behavior.
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On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
Dave Grossman
A retired colonel examines the psychological resistance to taking a human life and the methods the military uses to overcome it.
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People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil
M. Scott Peck
A psychiatrist presents case studies of patients he identifies as evil. He argues for a clinical diagnosis based on narcissism and deceit.
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1 more ↓ ↑
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Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror
Judith Lewis Herman
A psychiatrist examines the commonalities between survivors of private abuse and public terror. It outlines stages of safety and remembrance.
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Denser prose
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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
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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
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3 more ↓ ↑
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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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → dreamlike, still psychology
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace0prose+2bleak+1
Seeing Like a State
James C. Scott1998
An analysis of how large-scale state projects fail by ignoring local knowledge. It covers forestry, city planning, and forced villagization.
clinical → analytical, still politics
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

To recover
clinical → earnest, still psychology
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
Atomic Habits
James Clear2018
This guide provides a system for building small daily routines and breaking bad ones. It focuses on the science of incremental behavior change.
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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.
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3 more ↓ ↑
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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.
clinical → wry, 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.
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Strengths Finder 2.0
Tom Rath2007
This book provides an access code to an online personality assessment. It categorizes the reader's professional talents into thirty-four themes.
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Faster
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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·bleak-1

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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.
clinical → tender
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3 more ↓ ↑
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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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → playful
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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
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Slower
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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-2

- pace-1prose+2bleak-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.
clinical → dreamlike, still psychology
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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·bleak-1

- pace-1prose+2bleak-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.
clinical → meditative
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- pace-1prose+2bleak-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.
clinical → mysterious
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier
- pace0prose+2bleak+1
Seeing Like a State
James C. Scott1998
An analysis of how large-scale state projects fail by ignoring local knowledge. It covers forestry, city planning, and forced villagization.
clinical → analytical, still politics
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

- pace0prose+1bleak+1
Mother Hunger
Kelly McDaniel2021
A counselor analyzes the psychological impact of missing maternal nurturance, protection, and guidance during infancy.
clinical → elegiac, still psychology
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3 more ↓ ↑
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Memoirs of my nervous illness
Daniel Paul Schreber1955
A German judge documents his elaborate delusions and theological theories during his confinement in a mental asylum.
clinical → elegiac, still psychology
pace0·prose+2·bleak+1
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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.
Same clinical register, still psychology
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The Real Anthony Fauci
Robert F. Kennedy Jr2021
A critic of public health policy examines Anthony Fauci’s career and influence on the pharmaceutical industry and government.
clinical → tense, still politics
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