LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Center Cannot Hold

Elyn R. Saks2007

5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier

More like it

1 more ↓

  • It's Always Something

    Gilda Radner1989

    Gilda Radner chronicles her comedy career and her experience with ovarian cancer. She details her treatments and her shift in perspective.

    Same tender register, still memoir

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tender → meditative, still memoir

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-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.

    tender → bleak, still memoir

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    tender → sardonic, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Unfinished

    Priyanka Chopra Jonas2021

    The actress details her childhood in India, her time in American schools, and her transition from pageantry to a global film career.

    tender → earnest, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3

  • Whiskey in a Teacup

    Reese Witherspoon2018

    Reese Witherspoon shares recipes, interior design tips, and personal stories centered on Southern lifestyle and hospitality.

    tender → warm, still memoir

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-3

  • 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.

    tender → warm, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-3

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tender → earnest

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

  • 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.

    Same tender register

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3

  • 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.

    tender → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-3

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tender → sardonic, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-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.

    tender → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • 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.

    tender → elegiac, still memoir

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-2