Unstoppable

The Lost Boy

Dave Pelzer1994

A memoir of a teenager moving through five different foster homes after being removed from an abusive household.

tense → earnest, still memoir

pace0·prose0·bleak0

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.

tense → meditative, still memoir

pace-1·prose+3·bleak-2

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.

tense → bleak, still memoir

pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

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.

tense → sardonic, still memoir

pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

All Creatures Great and Small

James Herriot1972

A young veterinarian begins his practice in the Yorkshire Dales during the 1930s. He treats livestock and pets while meeting local farmers.

tense → warm, still memoir

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Amy Chua2011

A mother details her strict, high-pressure approach to raising her two daughters. It tracks the conflict that arises as they reach adolescence.

tense → sardonic, still memoir

pace0·prose+1·bleak-2

Untamed

Glennon Doyle2020

A woman recounts leaving her marriage and rebuilding her life after falling in love with another woman. It is a series of personal manifestos.

tense → earnest, still memoir

pace0·prose0·bleak-2

House to House: An Epic Memoir of War

David Bellavia

An American infantry sergeant provides a room-by-room account of the Second Battle of Fallujah. It focuses on close-quarters urban combat.

Same tense register, still memoir

pace+1·prose+1·bleak0

Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor

Clinton Romesha

A Medal of Honor recipient provides a tactical account of the 2009 Battle of Kamdesh at Combat Outpost Keating.

tense → propulsive, still memoir

pace+1·prose+1·bleak-1

Lions of Kandahar: The Story of a Fight Against All Odds

Rusty Bradley

A Special Forces officer recounts the 2006 battle for Sperwan Ghar. The focus is on tactical decisions during a multi-day engagement.

tense → propulsive, still memoir

pace+1·prose+1·bleak-1

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.

tense → sardonic, still memoir

pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

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.

tense → meditative, still memoir

pace-2·prose+3·bleak-1

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.

tense → elegiac, still memoir

pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

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.

pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

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.

Same tense register, still memoir

pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

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.

pace0·prose+1·bleak+1