Recommendations based on Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey Into Manhood and Back Againby Norah Vincent

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

    by A.J. Jacobs
    An exploration of faith and morality through the lens of the Bible.

    From the bestselling author of "The Know-It-All" comes a fascinating and timely exploration of religion and the Bible. Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith ... (Goodreads)

  2. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools

    by Jonathan Kozol
    An exposé of the disparities in America's public education system and its effects on children.

    National Book Award-winning author Jonathan Kozol presents his shocking account of the American educational system in this stunning "New York Times" bestseller, which has sold more than 250,000 ... (Goodreads)

  3. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

    by Anthony Bourdain
    A humorous and unflinching account of life in restaurant kitchens, exploring the culture and camaraderie of the culinary world.

    A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute ... (Goodreads)

  4. Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too

    by Adele Faber
    Practical strategies for raising children in a way that encourages healthy relationships between siblings.

    Already best-selling authors with How to Talk So Kids Will Listen Listen So Kids Will Talk , Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish turned their minds to the battle of the siblings. Parents themselves, they ... (Goodreads)

  5. Stitches

    by David Small
    A graphic memoir of a boy's struggle with illness, family secrets, and his own voice.

    One day David Small awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that he had been transformed into a virtual mute. A vocal cord removed, his throat slashed and stitched together like a ... (Goodreads)

  6. Nickel and Dimed: On

    by Barbara Ehrenreich
    A journalist's exploration of poverty in the U.S., exposing the struggles of low-wage workers.

    Millions of Americans work full-time, year-round, for poverty-level wages. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which ... (Goodreads)

  7. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

    by Mary Roach
    An exploration of the strange and often unknown history of cadavers, and their uses in science and medicine.

    Okay, you're thinking: ,"This must be some kind of a joke. A humorous book about cadavers?", Yup — and it works. Mary Roach takes the age-old question, "What happens to us after we die?" quite ... (Goodreads)

  8. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

    by Nicholas D. Kristof
    Examining the global struggle of women and how to empower them in the face of oppression.

    From two of our most fiercely moral voices, a passionate call to arms against our era’s most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world. With Pulitzer ... (Goodreads)

  9. When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management

    by Roger Lowenstein
    The story of the hedge fund that almost brought down the financial system in 1998, and the hubris and greed that led to its downfall.

    With a new Afterword addressing today’s financial crisis A BUSINESS WEEK BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR In this business classic—now with a new Afterword in which the author draws parallels to the recent ... (Goodreads)

  10. I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence

    by Amy Sedaris
    A hilarious guide to entertaining and living with style, grace, and a generous spirit.

    The inspiration for the TV show, At Home with Amy Sedaris,, here is a hilarious, helpful, and informative guide on how to entertain.,Are you lacking direction in how to whip up a swanky soiree for ... (Barnes & Noble)

  11. Cunt: A Declaration of Independence

    by Inga Muscio
    A powerful manifesto for reclaiming the word "cunt" and its power for female empowerment.

    An ancient title of respect for women, the word cunt long ago veered off this noble path. Inga Muscio traces the road from honor to expletive, giving women the motivation and tools to claim cunt as a ... (Goodreads)

  12. Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales

    by William M. Bass
    Investigative journey into a unique laboratory dedicated to solving crimes using forensic science.

    Dr. Bill Bass, one of the world's leading forensic anthropologists, gained international attention when he built a forensic lab like no other: The Body Farm. Now, this master scientist unlocks the ... (Goodreads)

  13. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

    by Barbara Demick
    Exploration of the lives of North Koreans during the famine and repression of the 1990s.

    Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the unchallenged rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and the ... (Goodreads)

  14. Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx

    by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
    A non-fiction account of two young women and their families living in poverty in the Bronx, navigating love, drugs, and survival.

    In her extraordinary bestseller, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc immerses readers in the intricacies of the ghetto, revealing the true sagas lurking behind the headlines of gangsta glamour, gold-drenched drug ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Autobiography of Malcolm X

    by Malcolm X
    A gripping account of one man's transformation from criminal to civil rights leader.

    Alternate cover for ISBN 9780345350688 Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his ... (Goodreads)

  16. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

    by David Sedaris
    A humorous collection of autobiographical essays reflecting on family relationships.

    David Sedaris plays in the snow with his sisters. He goes on vacation with his family. He gets a job selling drinks. He attends his brother’s wedding. He mops his sister’s floor. He gives directions ... (Goodreads)

  17. Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage

    by Elizabeth Gilbert
    A candid exploration of marriage, examining its ups and downs with a humorous and skeptical eye.

    At the end of her bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love , Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who'd been living in Indonesia when they met. ... (Goodreads)

  18. If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor

    by Bruce Campbell
    A humorous account of the actor's journey through the world of low-budget filmmaking.

    Okay, so at least you're interested enough to pick up this book and look inside. I think you and I are going to get along just fine. Life is full of choices. Right now, yours is whether or not to buy ... (Goodreads)

  19. Naked

    by David Sedaris
    Collection of humorous essays exploring the absurdities of everyday life.

    Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked , Sedaris turns the mania for memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, ... (Goodreads)

  20. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

    by Eric Schlosser
    An exploration of the industrial food system and its effects on U.S. society.

    Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list ... (Goodreads)

  21. Cheaper by the Dozen

    by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.
    An autobiographical account of a large family living in the early 1900s, navigating the joys and challenges of a large family.

    The book tells the story of time and motion study and efficiency experts Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth , and their children as they reside in Montclair, New Jersey , for many ... (Wikipedia)

  22. The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less

    by Barry Schwartz
    An exploration of how the abundance of choice in modern life can lead to unhappiness and paralysis.

    In the spirit of Alvin Tofflers' Future Shock , a social critique of our obsession with choice, and how it contributes to anxiety, dissatisfaction and regret. Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ... (Goodreads)

  23. I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman

    by Nora Ephron
    A humorous and poignant look at the struggles of aging and being a woman in modern society.

    With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron shares with us her ups and downs in I Feel Bad About My Neck, a candid, hilarious look at women who are ... (Goodreads)

  24. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

    by J.D. Vance
    An exploration of the struggles of working-class Americans, and the power of family and culture to shape one's life.

    Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for ... (Goodreads)

  25. Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

    by Atul Gawande
    Exploration of the human costs and consequences of medical care, highlighting our imperfections and vulnerabilities.

    In gripping accounts of true cases, surgeon Atul Gawande explores the power and the limits of medicine, offering an unflinching view from the scalpel's edge. Complications lays bare a science not in ... (Goodreads)

  26. Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets

    by David Simon
    A year-long journey with Baltimore homicide detectives as they solve murders and navigate the city's complex social and political landscape.

    From the creator of HBO's, The Wire, the classic book about homicide investigation that became the basis for the hit television show. The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

    by Michael Pollan
    Exploration of the modern food chain, examining the impact of food choices on our health and the environment.

    What should we have for dinner? The question has confronted us since man discovered fire, but according to Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Botany of Desire , how we answer it today, at ... (Goodreads)

  28. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls

    by Mary Pipher
    Examination of the psychological struggles faced by adolescent girls and how to help them.

    As a therapist, Mary Pipher was becoming frustrated with the growing problems among adolescent girls. Why were so many of them turning to therapy in the first place? Why had these lovely and ... (Goodreads)

  29. Them: Adventures with Extremists

    by Jon Ronson
    Exploration of extreme political and fringe groups by an inquisitive journalist.

    Ronson chronicles his travels and interviews with "extremists" and attempts to uncover the mystery behind the "tiny elite that rules the world from inside a secret room". The book is written on the ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography

    by Simon Singh
    A comprehensive history of cryptography and its role in shaping our world.

    In his first book since the bestselling Fermat’s Enigma , Simon Singh offers the first sweeping history of encryption, tracing its evolution and revealing the dramatic effects codes have had on wars, ... (Goodreads)