Recommendations based on Madness: A Bipolar Lifeby Marya Hornbacher

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

  1. Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia

    by Marya Hornbacher
    A personal account of the author's struggles with eating disorders and her road to recovery.

    Why would a talented young woman enter into a torrid affair with hunger, drugs, sex, and death? Through five lengthy hospital stays, endless therapy, and the loss of family, friends, jobs, and all ... (Goodreads)

  2. Manic: A Memoir

    by Terri Cheney
    A candid memoir of living with bipolar disorder, detailing the highs and lows of the author's life.

    An attractive, highly successful Beverly Hills entertainment lawyer, Terri Cheney had been battling debilitating bipolar disorder for the better part of her life—and concealing a pharmacy’s worth of ... (Barnes & Noble)

  3. Girl, Interrupted

    by Susanna Kaysen
    A memoir of a woman's struggle with mental illness, her fight for survival, and her journey of self-discovery.

    In April 1967, 18-year-old Susanna Kaysen is admitted to McLean Hospital , in Belmont, Massachusetts , after attempting suicide by overdosing on pills. She denies that it was a suicide attempt to a ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness

    by Elyn R. Saks
    Story of a woman's struggles with schizophrenia and her journey of recovery.

    Elyn Saks is a success by any measure: she's an endowed professor at the prestigious University of Southern California Gould School of Law. She has managed to achieve this in spite of being diagnosed ... (Goodreads)

  5. My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands

    by Chelsea Handler
    A humorous collection of stories about one woman's many misadventures with dating.

    You've either done it or know someone who has: the one-night stand, the familiar outcome of a night spent at a bar, sometimes the sole payoff for your friend's irritating wedding, or the only relief ... (Goodreads)

  6. An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

    by Kay Redfield Jamison
    An exploration of bipolar disorder and its impact on one's life.

    The personal memoir of a manic depressive and an authority on the subject describes the onset of the illness during her teenage years and her determined journey through the realm of available ... (Goodreads)

  7. Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood

    by Koren Zailckas
    A memoir of teenage alcoholism and its destructive consequences.

    Garnering a vast amount of attention from young people and parents, and from book buyers across the country, Smashed became a media sensation and a New York Times bestseller. Eye-opening and utterly ... (Goodreads)

  8. A Piece of Cake

    by Cupcake Brown
    A woman's raw story of resilience and survival in the face of hardship and trauma.

    The story begins in January 1975 when the female protagonist gives a short account of why her mother named her Cupcake Brown. Brown's mother died in 1976, when Brown was age 11. Since her biological ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain

    by Charles R. Cross
    An in-depth look at the life of the Nirvana frontman, exploring his legendary career and tumultuous life.

    The art of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was all about his private life, but written in a code as obscure as T.S. Eliot's. Now Charles Cross has cracked the code in the definitive biography Heavier Than ... (Goodreads)

  10. Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction

    by David Sheff
    An intimate look at a father's struggle to understand and help his son through his addiction.

    With a new afterword Now a Major Motion Picture What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted David Sheff’s journey through ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You

    by Elaine N. Aron
    A guide for highly sensitive people to understand and embrace their sensitivity, and navigate a world that can be overwhelming.

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Are you a highly sensitive person? Discover how to better understand yourself and create a fuller, richer life with the help of a clinical psychologist. “To say this book ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Autobiography of a Face

    by Lucy Grealy
    A memoir about facing physical deformity and the psychological effects of being ostracized.

    The prologue introduces the reader to Lucy's struggle with self-image. She describes her work at the stable Diamond D, which was her first job after finishing chemotherapy. Through this first ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

    by Jon Krakauer
    The inspiring story of a professional athlete and soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

    The bestselling author of, Into the Wild,, Into Thin Air, and, Under the Banner of Heaven, delivers a stunning, eloquent account of a remarkable young man’s haunting journey. Like the men whose epic ... (Goodreads)

  14. Truth & Beauty

    by Ann Patchett
    A heartfelt exploration of female friendship, and the challenges of life and love.

    "A loving testament to the work and reward of the best friendships, the kind where your arms can’t distinguish burden from embrace.” –People,, New York Times, Bestselling author Ann Patchett’s first ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

    by Alexandra Fuller
    An autobiographical account of a white family in Rhodesia, struggling to survive in a war-torn land.

    Alexandra Fuller's book tells the story of her family of white Zimbabwean tenant farmers in the years before and after Independence. These are not the wealthy landowners demonised by the present ... (Wikipedia)

  16. The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook

    by Bruce D. Perry
    Insightful case studies of children dealing with extreme trauma, and their resilience.

    In this instant classic of developmental psychology, a renowned psychiatrist examines the effect that trauma can have on a child, reveals how PTSD impacts the developing mind, and outlines the path ... (Barnes & Noble)

  17. The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

    by Atul Gawande
    A guide to better decision-making, exploring the power of checklists in various fields.

    The, New York Times, bestselling author of, Better, and, Complications, reveals the surprising power of the ordinary checklist We live in a world of great and increasing complexity, where even the ... (Goodreads)

  18. You Can Heal Your Life

    by Louise L. Hay
    A journey to emotional and physical healing through the power of self-love and positive affirmations.

    Louise’s key message in this powerful work is: “If we are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed.” Louise explains how limiting beliefs and ideas are often the cause of illness, ... (Goodreads)

  19. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

    by Jean-Dominique Bauby
    A paralyzed man's memoir, transcribed through blinking his left eye.

    On December 8, 1995, Bauby, the editor-in-chief of French, Elle, magazine, suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma . He awoke 20 days later, mentally aware of his surroundings, but physically ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

    by Jonathan Haidt
    Exploring the underlying moral foundations of political and religious beliefs and how they shape our views.

    An alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780307377906 can be found, here., Why can’t our political leaders work together as threats loom and problems mount? Why do people so readily assume the worst about ... (Goodreads)

  21. A Child Called "It"

    by Dave Pelzer
    True story of a child's unbearable suffering at the hands of an abusive parent.

    Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE], ACE #1, This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Secret

    by Rhonda Byrne
    A journey of self-empowerment, unlocking the power of positive thinking.

    Alternate cover edition of, ISBN 9781582701707,. The worldwide bestselling phenomenon that has helped millions tap the power of the law that governs all our lives to create—intentionally and ... (Goodreads)

  23. Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded

    by Hannah Hart
    A memoir of Hannah Hart's life, from her childhood to her rise to internet fame, with a focus on mental health and personal growth.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER,, With a New Afterword by the Author, ,"By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Hannah Hart’s new book is a roaring, beautiful, and profoundly human account of an ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. Whiskey, Words, and a Shovel I

    by R.H. Sin
    A collection of poems about love, heartbreak, and healing. Raw and honest emotions expressed through simple yet powerful language.

    Completely revised and expanded brand-new edition of Volume I, the first book in the Whiskey poetry trilogy!,Whiskey, Words, and a Shovel, Vol. 1,, is about reclaiming your power on the path to a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. 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)

  26. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

    by Bessel van der Kolk
    Examining the physical, psychological and emotional effects of trauma, and how to heal.

    A pioneering researcher and one of the world’s foremost experts on traumatic stress offers a bold new paradigm for healing. Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful ... (Goodreads)

  27. Comeback: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back

    by Claire Fontaine
    A memoir of a mother and daughter's journey through addiction, homelessness, and recovery, told in alternating perspectives.

    In powerful parallel stories, mother and daughter give mesmerizing first-person accounts of the nightmare that shattered their family and the amazing journey they took to find their way back to each ... (Barnes & Noble)

  28. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

    by Erik Larson
    A family's struggle to cope with the darkness of Nazi Germany, as seen through one man's courage.

    The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. A mild-mannered professor from ... (Goodreads)

  29. 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)

  30. I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual

    by Luvvie Ajayi Jones
    A humorous and insightful guide to navigating modern life, calling out bad behavior and encouraging readers to do better.

    "A truth-riot of a book!" — Shonda Rhimes, New York Times, Bestseller #1, Washington Post, Bestseller, Redbook ,“20 Books By Women You Must Read this Fall”, GoodHousekeeping.com, “17 New Best New ... (Barnes & Noble)