LitQueuelitqueue

After

Hyperbole and a Half

Allie Brosh1900

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same wry register, still memoir

1 more ↓

  • The Princess Diarist

    Carrie Fisher2016

    The author revisits her teenage diaries kept during the filming of the first Star Wars movie. She reflects on her affair with Harrison Ford.

    pace0·prose+1·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.

    wry → meditative

    pace-2·prose+3·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.

    wry → meditative, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

  • 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.

    wry → bleak, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Shrill

    Lindy West2016

    A series of essays follows a writer's life from a shy childhood to public activism. She discusses body image, feminism, and internet harassment.

    Same wry register, still memoir

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • QB: My Life Behind the Spiral

    Steve Young

    An NFL quarterback recounts his career from college to the Hall of Fame. He focuses on his performance anxiety and his time as a backup player.

    wry → earnest, still memoir

    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.

    wry → earnest, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    wry → 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.

    wry → propulsive, still memoir

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

  • Lions of Kandahar: The Story of a Fight Against All Odds

    Rusty Bradley

    A Special Forces officer recounts the 2006 battle for Sperwan Ghar. The focus is on tactical decisions during a multi-day engagement.

    wry → 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.

    wry → sardonic, 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.

    wry → 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.

    wry → elegiac, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

wry → bleak, still memoir

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    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.

    wry → tense, still memoir

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • A River in Darkness

    Masaji Ishikawa2018

    A man describes his thirty-six years living in North Korea after moving there from Japan. He recounts extreme poverty and his eventual escape.

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2