LitQueuelitqueue

After

And There Was Light

Jon Meacham2022

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same earnest register, still biography

1 more ↓

  • The Beatles: The Biography

    Bob Spitz2005

    A 900-page chronological history of the band, from their family backgrounds in Liverpool to their final breakup in 1970.

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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, still history

    pace0·prose+1·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 history

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Doktor Faustus

    Thomas Mann1948

    A composer trades his soul for musical genius as his life and the rise of Nazi Germany are chronicled by a concerned friend.

    earnest → elegiac

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

    Walter Isaacson

    A chronological account of Franklin's life from his printing apprenticeship to his diplomatic career and scientific experiments.

    Same earnest register, still biography

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation ― Journalist Cokie Roberts' NYT Bestselling American History Book About Female Patriots

    Cokie Roberts

    This history focuses on the personal letters and private lives of the wives and mothers of the American Revolution's leaders.

    Same earnest register, still biography

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

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-2·bleak-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+2·prose-2·bleak-1

  • 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-2·bleak-1

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+1·bleak-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.

    earnest → mysterious

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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+1·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation

    John Ehle

    A historical account of the Cherokee Nation's political struggles and their forced removal from ancestral lands in the 1830s.

    earnest → elegiac, still biography

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+2

  • Hitler: A Study in Tyranny – A Classic Biography: Authoritative and Readable, Abridged

    Alan Bullock

    A detailed biography of Adolf Hitler that focuses on his rise to power and his psychological control over the German state.

    earnest → clinical, still biography

    pace0·prose0·bleak+2

  • Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

    Dee Alexander Brown

    A chronological history of the displacement and systematic destruction of Native American tribes in the late 19th century.

    earnest → elegiac, still history

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+2