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After

The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History

Molly Caldwell Crosby

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America

    Rick Perlstein

    A history of American political division from 1964 to 1972, centered on Richard Nixon's use of social unrest to build a new coalition.

    tense → sardonic, still history

    pace0·prose0·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.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • 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.

    tense → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    tense → sardonic, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

tense → playful

3 more ↓

  • Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron

    Julia Quinn2022

    A graphic novel adaptation of a fictional melodrama where an orphan flees a cruel aunt and encounters a man in a remote castle.

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  • The Comfort Book

    Matt Haig2021

    A collection of short reflections, lists, and anecdotes intended to provide mental support. It is a non-linear book of philosophy and memoir.

    tense → warm

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Martian

    Andy Weir2011

    A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

    tense → wry

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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.

    tense → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • 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.

    tense → playful

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  • 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.

    tense → earnest

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

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.

    tense → clinical, still history

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2

  • 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.

    tense → meditative, still history

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2

  • 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.

    tense → elegiac, still history

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

tense → 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.

    tense → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+1

  • 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+1

  • 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.

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