After
I Have Something to Tell You
Chasten Glezman Buttigieg2020
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from
More like it
Same earnest register, still memoir
- pace0prose0bleak0
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.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak0
An African in Greenland
Tete-Michel Kpomassie2001
A man from Togo travels to Greenland to live among the Inuit. He records his observations on their customs, diet, and social structures.
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- pace0prose0bleak0
Miracles happen
Brooke Ellison2001
A memoir of a woman who became a quadriplegic at age eleven and her subsequent journey through education and recovery.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak+1
Permanent Record
Edward Snowden2019
Edward Snowden details his time in the CIA and NSA, explaining how he built and then exposed a global mass surveillance system.
pace0·prose0·bleak+1

1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+1
When They Call You a Terrorist
Patrisse Khan-Cullors2018
A memoir by a co-founder of Black Lives Matter detailing her upbringing in Los Angeles and her path to activism.
pace0·prose0·bleak+1

Denser prose
- pace0prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → meditative, still memoir
pace0·prose+2·bleak0

- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → playful
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
earnest → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

- pace0prose+2bleak+3
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.
earnest → bleak, still memoir
pace0·prose+2·bleak+3
- pace-1prose+2bleak+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.
earnest → sardonic, still memoir
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

Faster
- pace+2prose0bleak+2
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
Jon Krakauer
A journalist recounts the 1996 Everest disaster. He details the logistical failures and the storm that killed several climbers.
earnest → tense, still memoir
pace+2·prose0·bleak+2
- pace+2prose-1bleak0
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.
earnest → playful, still memoir
pace+2·prose-1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose0bleak+2
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.
earnest → tense, still memoir
pace+2·prose0·bleak+2
- pace+2prose0bleak+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.
earnest → propulsive, still memoir
pace+2·prose0·bleak+1
- pace+2prose0bleak+1
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.
earnest → propulsive, still memoir
pace+2·prose0·bleak+1
Slower
- pace-1prose+1bleak+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.
earnest → elegiac, still memoir
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+2bleak+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.
earnest → sardonic, still memoir
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → playful
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

- pace-1prose+2bleak+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.
earnest → meditative, still memoir
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
earnest → meditative
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

Heavier
earnest → bleak, still memoir
- pace+1prose-1bleak+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.
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+3

- pace0prose0bleak+3
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.
pace0·prose0·bleak+3

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose+1bleak+3
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.
pace+1·prose+1·bleak+3

- pace+1prose0bleak+3
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.
earnest → tense, still memoir
pace+1·prose0·bleak+3

- pace+1prose0bleak+3
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.
pace+1·prose0·bleak+3