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After

Boom Town

Sam Anderson2018

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

    Alfred Lansing1959

    A chronological account of Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition. It details the crew's two-year struggle after their ship is crushed.

    wry → propulsive, still narrative nonfiction

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • The Annals of Imperial Rome

    Tacitus1956

    A Roman historian chronicles the reigns of emperors from Tiberius to Nero. He focuses on the corruption of power and the decline of political liberty.

    wry → sardonic, still history

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Orientalism

    Edward W. Said1978

    A scholarly critique of how Western academics and artists represent the Middle East to justify imperial power.

    wry → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • The Souls of Black Folk

    W.E.B. Du Bois1903

    A collection of 1903 essays examining the psychological and social effects of racism in America through the concept of double consciousness.

    wry → elegiac, still history

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • The Lost Symbol

    Dan Brown2009

    Symbologist Robert Langdon follows a trail of Masonic puzzles through Washington D.C. monuments to save his kidnapped mentor.

    wry → propulsive

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Walking Disaster

    Jamie McGuire2013

    This novel retells the events of 'Beautiful Disaster' from the perspective of Travis Maddox. It follows his college years and obsession with Abby.

    wry → propulsive

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Secondhand Spirits

    Juliet Blackwell2009

    A vintage shop owner who can feel the history of clothes uses her magic to solve a murder. She must find a killer while hiding her identity.

    wry → playful

    pace0·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.

    wry → playful

    pace+1·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.

    wry → playful

    pace+1·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.

    wry → earnest

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • The Lessons of History

    Will Durant1968

    A concise survey of recurring patterns in human history across biology, religion, and economics. It summarizes themes from a ten-volume series.

    wry → tense, still history

    pace-2·prose-1·bleak0

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    wry → meditative

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak0

  • The Oxford Companion to Food

    Alan Davidson2014

    Same wry register, still history

    pace-2·prose0·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

    Dee Brown

    A chronological account of the displacement and slaughter of Native Americans by the U.S. government in the late 19th century.

    wry → elegiac, still history

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak+2

  • Auschwitz

    Laurence Rees2005

    A chronological history of the camp's evolution from a Polish barracks to a site of mass industrial murder, based on archival research.

    wry → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak+2

  • By Hands Now Known

    Margaret A. Burnham2022

    An investigation into racial violence and legal failures in the Jim Crow South using previously unexamined archives.

    wry → elegiac, still history

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+2