LitQueuelitqueue

After

Dear Leader

Jang Jin-sung2014

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • When We Rise

    Cleve Jones2017

    Cleve Jones recounts his life in San Francisco during the rise of gay liberation, the Harvey Milk era, and the onset of the AIDS crisis.

    tense → earnest, still memoir

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

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

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-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.

    tense → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2

  • 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.

    tense → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Tuesdays with Morrie

    Mitch Albom1994

    A journalist reconnects with his dying college professor for weekly lessons on life. They discuss aging, regret, and love as the professor declines.

    tense → tender, still memoir

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Star Nomad

    Lindsay Buroker2016

    A fighter pilot and a small crew of strangers attempt to escape a system-wide war in a freighter. It is a character-driven space adventure.

    tense → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Unfinished

    Priyanka Chopra Jonas2021

    The actress details her childhood in India, her time in American schools, and her transition from pageantry to a global film career.

    tense → earnest, still memoir

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tense → earnest

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-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.

    tense → tender

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • 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.

    tense → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tense → sardonic, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    tense → meditative, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-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.

    tense → elegiac, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz

    Rena Kornreich Gelissen

    A woman details her three years in Auschwitz, where she focuses on keeping her younger sister alive through the first transport of women.

    tense → earnest, still memoir

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account

    Miklós Nyiszli1960

    A Jewish prisoner forced to assist Josef Mengele describes the daily operations of the gas chambers and medical experiments at Auschwitz.

    tense → clinical, still memoir

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • 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.

    tense → bleak, still memoir

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+1