After
Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake
Frank W. Abagnale
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from, nothing faster
More like it
Same playful register, still memoir
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Bringing home the Birkin
Michael Tonello2008
A man travels the world to exploit Hermès retail loopholes and resell Birkin bags. It is a memoir of high-end fashion arbitrage.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
You're Never Weird on the Internet
Felicia Day2015
The actress and creator of 'The Guild' recounts her life as a homeschooled child, her gaming addiction, and her career in digital media.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies
Tara Schuster2020
A television executive shares personal anecdotes and daily rituals used to recover from a neglected childhood. It is a memoir-style guide.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace-1prose0bleak0
Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Jenny Lawson2013
A collection of essays about growing up in a rural town with a taxidermist father. It focuses on social anxiety and strange family incidents.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak0
#Girlboss
Sophia Amoruso2015
The founder of Nasty Gal chronicles her transition from a hitchhiking shoplifter to the CEO of a multi-million dollar fashion retailer.
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+3bleak0
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.
playful → meditative, still memoir
pace-2·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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.
Same playful register
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak+1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
playful → meditative
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-3prose+3bleak+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.
playful → meditative, still memoir
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-3prose+3bleak+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.
playful → dreamlike
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
Slower
- pace-3prose+3bleak0
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.
Same playful register
pace-3·prose+3·bleak0
- pace-3prose+3bleak+1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
playful → meditative
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-3prose+3bleak+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.
playful → sardonic, still memoir
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+2
- pace-3prose+3bleak+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.
playful → meditative, still memoir
pace-3·prose+3·bleak+1
- pace-3prose+2bleak+1
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.
playful → elegiac, still memoir
pace-3·prose+2·bleak+1
Heavier
- pace-1prose+1bleak+3
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.
playful → earnest, still memoir
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+3
- pace-2prose+1bleak+3
A Mother's Reckoning
Sue Klebold2016
The mother of one of the Columbine shooters examines her son's childhood and her own journals. She looks for signs she missed before the massacre.
playful → elegiac, still memoir
pace-2·prose+1·bleak+3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+1bleak+3
Broken
Shy Keenan2008
The author recounts years of severe physical and sexual abuse by her parents. It follows her journey toward survival and activism.
playful → bleak, still memoir
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+3
- pace-2prose+2bleak+3
The Fact of a Body
Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich2017
A lawyer investigates a 1992 murder case while confronting her own history of childhood trauma. It blends true crime with personal memoir.
playful → meditative, still memoir
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+3
- pace-1prose0bleak+3
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.
playful → bleak, still memoir
pace-1·prose0·bleak+3
