LitQueuelitqueue

After

River of the Gods

Candice Millard2022

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same propulsive register, still history

1 more ↓

  • River of Doubt

    Candice Millard 2005

    The true account of Theodore Roosevelt’s 1913 expedition down an unmapped tributary of the Amazon River. It details the physical toll and deaths.

    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.

    propulsive → 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.

    propulsive → bleak, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • Orientalism

    Edward W. Said1978

    A scholarly critique of how Western academics and artists represent the Middle East to justify imperial power.

    propulsive → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

    Ashlee Vance

    A biography of the entrepreneur behind PayPal, Tesla, and SpaceX. It covers his childhood in South Africa and his business methods in Silicon Valley.

    Same propulsive register, still biography

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

  • Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul

    John M. Barry2012

    A biography of the theologian who founded Rhode Island. It tracks his exile from Massachusetts and his arguments for religious freedom.

    propulsive → earnest, still history

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

    H.W. Brands

    A chronological biography of Benjamin Franklin. It follows his life from a printer's apprentice to a scientist and diplomat.

    propulsive → earnest, still history

    pace-1·prose0·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.

    propulsive → 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.

    propulsive → 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.

    propulsive → earnest

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    propulsive → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • How to Read a Book

    Mortimer J. Adler1940

    This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

    propulsive → mysterious

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • The Red Book: Liber Novus

    C.G. Jung2009

    A psychologist records his visions and internal dialogues in an illuminated manuscript created during a period of intense self-exploration.

    propulsive → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation

    John Ehle

    A historical account of the Cherokee Nation's political struggles and their forced removal from ancestral lands in the 1830s.

    propulsive → elegiac, still history

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+2

  • Hitler: A Study in Tyranny – A Classic Biography: Authoritative and Readable, Abridged

    Alan Bullock

    A detailed biography of Adolf Hitler that focuses on his rise to power and his psychological control over the German state.

    propulsive → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

    Dee Alexander Brown

    A chronological history of the displacement and systematic destruction of Native American tribes in the late 19th century.

    propulsive → elegiac, still history

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+2