After
Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines
Joy Buolamwini
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same earnest register, still memoir
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The Secret Race
Tyler Hamilton2012
A professional cyclist details the systematic doping and deception within the U.S. Postal Service team during the Lance Armstrong era.
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- pace0prose0bleak0
Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamist Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs
Elissa Wall
A memoir of life inside the FLDS Church, detailing the author's forced marriage at age fourteen and her eventual legal testimony.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
What Is a Girl Worth?
Rachael Denhollander2019
The first woman to publicly accuse Larry Nassar recounts the abuse and the legal battle to hold him accountable. It details the systemic failures.
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- pace-1prose0bleak0
Permanent Record
Edward Snowden2019
Edward Snowden details his time in the CIA and NSA, explaining how he built and then exposed a global mass surveillance system.
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1 more ↓ ↑
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A Piece of Cake
Cupcake Brown2005
A memoir detailing the author's survival of childhood abuse, addiction, and homelessness in California before the age of twenty.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

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

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

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
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

- pace-1prose+2bleak+2
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
- pace-2prose+2bleak+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

To recover
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Ghost Ship
Clive Cussler2014
Kurt Austin survives a yacht sinking but suffers from conflicting memories. He investigates a global cybercrime conspiracy to find the truth.
earnest → propulsive
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Killer Blonde
Laura Levine2004
A freelance writer investigates a murder in the Hamptons after a socialite is killed. She balances the case with her work for a demanding boss.
earnest → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
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Two for the dough
Janet Evanovich1996
An inexperienced bounty hunter tracks a man who jumped bail for shooting his friend. She competes with a vice cop to find him first.
earnest → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Better Off Dead
Lee Child2021
Jack Reacher investigates a staged car crash in Arizona and infiltrates a dangerous local crew to find a missing woman.
earnest → propulsive
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Death by Darjeeling
Laura Childs2001
Theodosia Browning hosts a tea party where a guest is poisoned. She must find the killer among the local socialites of Charleston.
earnest → warm
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake
Frank W. Abagnale
A teenager poses as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer to cash millions in fraudulent checks. He evades the FBI across several countries.
earnest → playful, still memoir
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-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.
Same earnest register
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-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.
earnest → tender
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-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.
earnest → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-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.
earnest → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

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

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

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak+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

- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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

- pace-2prose+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.
earnest → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier
earnest → bleak, still memoir
- pace0prose-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.
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- pace-1prose0bleak+2
When Rabbit Howls
Truddi Chase1987
A woman and her ninety-two distinct personalities document her history of severe childhood trauma and her journey through therapy.
pace-1·prose0·bleak+2

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose+1bleak+2
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

- pace0prose0bleak+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

- pace0prose0bleak+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