LitQueuelitqueue

After

Don't Eat This Book

Morgan Spurlock2005

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Down the Rabbit Hole

    Holly Madison2015

    A former resident of the Playboy Mansion describes the strict rules, internal politics, and mental health struggles she faced while living there.

    Same sardonic register, still memoir

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    sardonic → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+3·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.

    sardonic → bleak, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+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.

    Same sardonic register, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

    Michael Pollan

    An investigation into the history of nutritionism and the industrialization of food. It proposes a simple set of rules for eating healthily.

    sardonic → earnest

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

    Christopher McDougall

    A journalist tracks down the Tarahumara Indians to learn their long-distance running secrets. It combines history, biology, and a race.

    sardonic → propulsive, still journalism

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Becoming

    Michelle Obama2018

    Michelle Obama recounts her life from her childhood in Chicago to her years in the White House. It focuses on her personal growth and public roles.

    sardonic → earnest, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    sardonic → playful, still memoir

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

  • House to House: An Epic Memoir of War

    David Bellavia

    An American infantry sergeant provides a room-by-room account of the Second Battle of Fallujah. It focuses on close-quarters urban combat.

    sardonic → tense, still memoir

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor

    Clinton Romesha

    A Medal of Honor recipient provides a tactical account of the 2009 Battle of Kamdesh at Combat Outpost Keating.

    sardonic → propulsive, still memoir

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

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.

    Same sardonic register, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak+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.

    sardonic → meditative, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

  • 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.

    sardonic → elegiac, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • When Rabbit Howls

    Truddi Chase1987

    A woman and her ninety-two distinct personalities document her history of severe childhood trauma and her journey through therapy.

    sardonic → bleak, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Wasted

    Marya Hornbacher1998

    A detailed memoir of the author's decade-long struggle with anorexia and bulimia. It documents hospitalizations and the physical decay of the body.

    sardonic → bleak, still memoir

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2

  • A House in the Sky

    Amanda Lindhout2013

    A freelance journalist is kidnapped in Somalia and held for fifteen months. The memoir details her captivity and the conditions she endured.

    sardonic → tense, still memoir

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2