LitQueuelitqueue

After

Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia

Marya Hornbacher

5 of 6 directions open — nothing heavier

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor's True Story of Auschwitz

    Olga Lengyel

    A female prisoner documents her daily life and the administrative operations of the Birkenau and Auschwitz camps.

    Same bleak register, still memoir

    pace0·prose-1·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.

    bleak → meditative

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2

  • 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.

    bleak → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-3

  • 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.

    bleak → sardonic, still memoir

    pace-2·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.

    bleak → earnest, still memoir

    pace0·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.

    bleak → warm, still memoir

    pace-1·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.

    bleak → warm, still memoir

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-3

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    bleak → tense, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    bleak → propulsive, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • 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.

    bleak → propulsive, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Gödel, Escher, Bach

    Douglas R. Hofstadter1979

    An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.

    bleak → playful

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-3

  • 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.

    bleak → meditative, still memoir

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    bleak → meditative

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2