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Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s

Frederick Lewis Allen1931

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Frozen in Time

    Mitchell Zuckoff2013

    A US cargo plane crashes in Greenland during WWII. The narrative covers the survival of the crew and a modern recovery mission to find the wreck.

    wry → propulsive, still history

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    wry → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·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.

    wry → bleak, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • The Annals of Imperial Rome

    Tacitus1956

    A Roman historian chronicles the reigns of emperors from Tiberius to Nero. He focuses on the corruption of power and the decline of political liberty.

    wry → sardonic, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • King of Pride

    Ana Huang2023

    A buttoned-up billionaire heir falls for an impulsive bartender while trying to secure a CEO position. They navigate a forbidden workplace romance.

    wry → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries

    Emily Brightwell1993

    A Victorian housekeeper and her staff secretly solve crimes for their employer, a clueless Scotland Yard inspector.

    wry → playful

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Modern Romance

    Aziz Ansari2015

    A comedian and a sociologist analyze how technology and culture have changed dating. It uses data and interviews to compare eras.

    wry → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    wry → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Steal Like an Artist

    Austin Kleon2012

    A series of short, illustrated principles for creative work. It focuses on remixing existing ideas and establishing productive daily habits.

    wry → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Poke the Box

    Seth Godin2011

    A short manifesto encouraging readers to start projects and take initiative. It argues that the greatest risk is staying in place.

    wry → earnest

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

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  • The Frontier in American History

    Frederick Jackson Turner1920

    A series of essays arguing that the American character and democracy were shaped by the continuous expansion into the western wilderness.

    wry → clinical, still history

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1

  • The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson & Abigail & John Adams

    Lester Jesse Cappon

    The collected letters between three founders over fifty years. They discuss philosophy, politics, and their personal lives as they age.

    wry → meditative, still history

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-1

  • The Souls of Black Folk

    W.E.B. Du Bois1903

    A collection of 1903 essays examining the psychological and social effects of racism in America through the concept of double consciousness.

    wry → elegiac, still history

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

Heavier

wry → elegiac, still history

3 more ↓

  • Auschwitz

    Laurence Rees2005

    A chronological history of the camp's evolution from a Polish barracks to a site of mass industrial murder, based on archival research.

    wry → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+2

  • By Hands Now Known

    Margaret A. Burnham2022

    An investigation into racial violence and legal failures in the Jim Crow South using previously unexamined archives.

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845 - 1849

    Cecil Woodham-Smith

    A detailed record of the Irish Potato Famine, focusing on the failure of British government policy and the resulting mass starvation.

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2