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After

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

Sherman Alexie2017

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same elegiac register, still memoir

1 more ↓

  • Stay True

    Hua Hsu2022

    A memoir about a college friendship in the 1990s that ends in a senseless act of violence. It focuses on zines, music, and the grief of the living.

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    elegiac → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

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

    elegiac → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    elegiac → bleak, still memoir

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

To recover

elegiac → warm, still memoir

3 more ↓

  • The Pioneer Woman

    Ree Drummond2011

    A city woman moves to a remote cattle ranch after falling in love with a cowboy. She details her transition to country life and farm chores.

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Bloom

    Kelle Hampton2012

    A mother recounts the first year of her daughter's life following a Down syndrome diagnosis. The book includes personal essays and photography.

    elegiac → tender, still memoir

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Happy, Happy, Happy

    Phil Robertson2013

    The founder of Duck Commander recounts his life from a difficult upbringing to business success. He focuses on his faith and outdoor lifestyle.

    elegiac → earnest, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

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.

    elegiac → tense, still memoir

    pace+2·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.

    elegiac → propulsive, still memoir

    pace+2·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.

    elegiac → propulsive, still memoir

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • A river runs through it

    Norman Maclean1976

    A man recalls his youth in 1920s Montana. He and his brother bond with their father through the technical details of fly fishing.

    Same elegiac register, still memoir

    pace-1·prose0·bleak0

  • A Writer's Diary

    Virginia Woolf1953

    Selected entries from twenty-seven years of the author's personal journals. The text focuses on her creative process and daily writing habits.

    elegiac → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

  • Notes on Grief

    Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie2021

    An essayist examines the sudden death of her father during the COVID-19 pandemic and the cultural rituals of the Igbo people.

    Same elegiac register, still memoir

    pace-1·prose0·bleak0

Heavier

elegiac → bleak, still memoir

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    pace+1·prose0·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.

    elegiac → tense, still memoir

    pace+1·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.

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1