Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men

People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil

M. Scott Peck

A psychiatrist presents case studies of patients he identifies as evil. He argues for a clinical diagnosis based on narcissism and deceit.

Same clinical register, still psychology

pace0·prose0·bleak0

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.

clinical → analytical, still psychology

pace0·prose+2·bleak-1

The Red Book: Liber Novus

C.G. Jung2009

A psychologist records his visions and internal dialogues in an illuminated manuscript created during a period of intense self-exploration.

clinical → dreamlike, still psychology

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

Memoirs of my nervous illness

Daniel Paul Schreber1955

A German judge documents his elaborate delusions and theological theories during his confinement in a mental asylum.

clinical → elegiac, still psychology

pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

Surrounded by Idiots

Thomas Erikson2014

A guide to a four-color personality model designed to help readers categorize and communicate with different behavioral types in the workplace.

clinical → wry, still psychology

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

John Gray1992

A guide to heterosexual relationships that attributes communication conflicts to inherent psychological differences between men and women.

pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Strengths Finder 2.0

Tom Rath2007

This book provides an access code to an online personality assessment. It categorizes the reader's professional talents into thirty-four themes.

pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

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.

clinical → earnest

pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

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.

clinical → tender

pace+2·prose-1·bleak-2

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.

clinical → playful

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.

clinical → meditative

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

Confessions

Augustine of Hippo

A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

clinical → meditative

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2

How to Read a Book

Mortimer J. Adler1940

This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

clinical → mysterious

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide

Robert Jay Lifton

A psychological study of how physicians in the Third Reich rationalized their participation in the Holocaust. It uses interviews with survivors.

Same clinical register, still psychology

pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

Animal Farm

George Orwell1945

Farm animals overthrow their human owner to run the farm themselves. The pigs gradually seize control and establish a new hierarchy.

clinical → sardonic

pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank2001

A Jewish teenager records her daily life and thoughts while hiding from the Nazis in a secret annex in Amsterdam.

clinical → earnest

pace0·prose0·bleak+1