After
Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us
Robert D. Hare
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same clinical register, still psychology
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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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The Sociopath Next Door
Martha Stout2005
A psychologist explains how to identify people who lack a conscience. She details how they operate in everyday life without feeling guilt.
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The Gift of Fear
Gavin de Becker1997
A security expert explains how to recognize and use intuition to identify threats. It uses case studies of stalking and violent crime.
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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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1 more ↓ ↑
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I Hate You—Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality
Jerold J. Kreisman
A clinical guide to Borderline Personality Disorder that uses case studies to explain symptoms and treatment options for patients and families.
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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
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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
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To recover
clinical → earnest, still psychology
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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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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.
clinical → playful, still true crime
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Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever
Bill O'Reilly
A minute-by-minute narrative of John Wilkes Booth's plot to kill Abraham Lincoln and the subsequent manhunt for the conspirators.
clinical → propulsive, still true crime
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3 more ↓ ↑
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American Kingpin
Nick Bilton2017
This account follows Ross Ulbricht as he builds the Silk Road dark web market and the federal agents who spend years tracking him down.
clinical → propulsive, still true crime
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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
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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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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-2·prose+2·bleak-2

- pace-2prose+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-2·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+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-2·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-2prose+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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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
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Heavier
Same clinical register, still true crime
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The Lost Girls
John Glatt2015
This account details the decade-long kidnapping and abuse of three women in a Cleveland home. It includes interviews with the captor's family.
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American Predator
Maureen Callahan2019
A true crime account of the hunt for Israel Keyes, a killer who hid 'kill kits' across the US. It follows the FBI's interrogation and discovery.
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3 more ↓ ↑
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Under the Banner of Heaven
Jon Krakauer2003
This account links a 1984 double murder to the history and evolution of Mormon fundamentalism.
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Columbine
Dave Cullen2009
A journalist reconstructs the 1999 school shooting using police records and the killers' journals to debunk common myths.
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A Stolen Life
Jaycee Dugard2011
Jaycee Dugard recounts her 18-year kidnapping and captivity in a backyard shed. She describes her daily survival and raising her two daughters.
clinical → earnest, still true crime
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