The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL

Spare

Prince Harry2023

Prince Harry recounts his life from childhood through his departure from royal duties. He focuses on his grief and his treatment by the press.

Same earnest register, still memoir

pace0·prose0·bleak0

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

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

The Gulag Archipeligo 1918-1956: An Experiment In Literary Investigation I - Ii.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

A history of the Soviet forced labor camp system based on survivor reports and the author's own imprisonment. It documents state-run repression.

earnest → bleak, still memoir

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

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

pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Mindy Kaling2011

A collection of essays about the author's childhood, her career in comedy, and her observations on friendship.

earnest → wry, still memoir

pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Through My Eyes

Tim Tebow2011

A college and professional quarterback recounts his football career and the role of his Christian faith in his public and private life.

pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls

Lauren Graham

The actress who played Lorelai Gilmore shares essays about her career. She focuses on her time in Hollywood and the revival of her show.

earnest → playful, still memoir

pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

Jon Krakauer

A journalist recounts the 1996 Everest disaster. He details the logistical failures and the storm that killed several climbers.

earnest → tense, still memoir

pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

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.

Same earnest register

pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

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

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

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

pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

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

pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

M Train

Patti Smith2015

A musician travels to various cafes and gravesites around the world. She reflects on her late husband, her favorite books, and her daily rituals.

earnest → elegiac, still memoir

pace-2·prose+1·bleak0

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.

pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

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

pace0·prose0·bleak+2

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.

pace0·prose0·bleak+2