The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook

Assata

Assata Shakur1987

A Black Panther recounts her childhood, political activism, and the 1973 shootout that led to her imprisonment and eventual escape.

Same earnest register, still memoir

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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

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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

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The Righteous Mind

Jonathan Haidt2012

A social psychologist examines the intuitive origins of human morality. He explains how these instincts drive political and religious divides.

earnest → analytical, still psychology

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Till There Was You

Marie Force2019

A man returns to his island home to recover from a tragedy. He finds comfort and a new relationship with a woman he has known for years.

earnest → warm

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My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business

Dick Van Dyke2011

Dick Van Dyke recounts his career from radio to sitcoms and film. He focuses on his work ethic, his co-stars, and his personal struggles.

earnest → warm, still memoir

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Paradise Valley

Robyn Carr2009

A disfigured Marine returns to Virgin River to heal while a newcomer with a criminal past tries to find a place in the community.

earnest → warm

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The Sun and Her Flowers

Rupi Kaur2017

A collection of short, illustrated poems organized into five stages of growth. It covers themes of loss, trauma, and self-healing.

Same earnest register

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Pillow Thoughts

Courtney Peppernell2016

A collection of short poems and prose pieces organized by emotional state. It focuses on themes of heartbreak, healing, and loneliness.

earnest → tender

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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.

earnest → playful

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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