Recommendations based on The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disasterby Sarah Krasnostein

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

  1. Eggshell Skull

    by Bri Lee
    A memoir of a young woman's experience as a judge's associate in the Australian legal system, and her own journey seeking justice for sexual assault.

    EGGSHELL SKULL: A well-established legal doctrine that a defendant must 'take their victim as they find them'. If a single punch kills someone because of their thin skull, that victim's weakness ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine

    by Lindsey Fitzharris
    An exploration into the pioneering work of Joseph Lister and his revolutionary contribution to modern medicine.

    Winner, 2018 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing Short-listed for the 2018 Wellcome Book Prize,A Top 10 Science Book of Fall 2017,, Publishers Weekly, A Best History Book of 2017,, The ... (Barnes & Noble)

  3. Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper

    by Diablo Cody
    A funny, poignant memoir of a young journalist's year spent working in a strip club.

    Decreed by David Letterman (tongue in cheek) on CBS TV’s The Late Show to be the pick of “Dave’s Book Club 2006,” Candy Girl is the story of a young writer who dared to bare it all as a stripper. At ... (Goodreads)

  4. 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)

  5. In the Dream House

    by Carmen Maria Machado
    A memoir exploring the author's abusive same-sex relationship, using various literary genres to convey the complexity of the experience.

    A revolutionary memoir about domestic abuse by the award-winning author of, Her Body and Other Parties, In the Dream House is Carmen Maria Machado’s engrossing and wildly innovative account of a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  6. The Happiest Refugee

    by Anh Do
    A memoir of an immigrant family's struggles and triumphs as they seek a better life in Australia.

    Anh Do nearly didn't make it to Australia. His entire family came close to losing their lives on the sea as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. But nothing - not murderous ... (Goodreads)

  7. Dark Emu

    by Bruce Pascoe
    A groundbreaking work that challenges the colonial myth of Indigenous Australians as hunter-gatherers, revealing their sophisticated agricultural practices.

    Dark Emu puts forward an argument for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer tag for precolonial Aboriginal Australians. The evidence insists that Aboriginal people right across the continent were ... (Goodreads)

  8. I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer

    by Michelle McNamara
    A true crime book chronicling the author's investigation into the unsolved case of the Golden State Killer.

    A masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer—the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade—from Michelle McNamara, the gifted journalist who died ... (Goodreads)

  9. Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race

    by Reni Eddo-Lodge
    A critical exploration of the UK's relationship with race and racism.

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, "This is a book that was begging to be written. This is the kind of book that demands a future where we’ll no longer need such a book. Essential." —Marlon James “The most ... (Barnes & Noble)

  10. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

    by Jeanette Winterson
    A memoir of a woman's search for love and identity, and her struggles with mental illness.

    "Magnificent . . . A tour de force of literature and love."—,Vogue,",Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, is raucous. It hums with a dark refulgence from its first pages. . . . Singular and ... (Barnes & Noble)

  11. Calypso

    by David Sedaris
    A collection of humorous and poignant essays about family, aging, and mortality, with Sedaris' signature wit and self-deprecating humor.

    David Sedaris returns with his most deeply personal and darkly hilarious book., If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what ... (Goodreads)

  12. So You Want to Talk About Race

    by Ijeoma Oluo
    A guide to discussing race and racism in America, providing insight and tools for productive conversations.

    In this breakout book, Ijeoma Oluo explores the complex reality of today's racial landscape–from white privilege and police brutality to systemic discrimination and the Black Lives Matter ... (Goodreads)

  13. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory

    by Caitlin Doughty
    A journey through the funeral industry, exploring death, grief, and the beauty of life.

    "Morbid and illuminating" ( Entertainment Weekly )—a young mortician goes behind the scenes of her curious profession. Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin ... (Barnes & Noble)

  14. The Year of Magical Thinking

    by Joan Didion
    A woman's reflections on life and death after the sudden loss of her husband.

    'An act of consummate literary bravery, a writer known for her clarity allowing us to watch her mind as it becomes clouded with grief.' From one of America's iconic writers, a stunning book of ... (Goodreads)

  15. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

    by John Carreyrou
    The rise and fall of Theranos, a fraudulent blood-testing startup, and the deceitful actions of its founder Elizabeth Holmes.

    The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face ... (Goodreads)

  16. 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)

  17. Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum

    by Michael McCreary
    A comedian's memoir about growing up with autism, navigating social situations, and finding humor in life's challenges.

    Like many others on the autism spectrum, 20-something stand-up comic Michael McCreary has been told by more than a few well-meaning folks that he doesn’t “look” autistic. But, as he’s quick to point ... (Barnes & Noble)

  18. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

    by John Berendt
    A journalist's exploration of a mysterious murder in Savannah, Georgia.

    A sublime and seductive reading experience. This portrait of a beguiling Southern city was a best-seller (though a flop as a movie). ~ Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty, ... (Goodreads)

  19. First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Story About Anxiety

    by Sarah Wilson
    A personal account of living with anxiety and how to transform it into a positive force.

    New York Times Bestseller "Probably the best book on living with anxiety that I’ve ever read.” – Mark Manson, #1, New York Times, bestselling author of, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck,, The ... (Barnes & Noble)

  20. Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family

    by Garrard Conley
    A young man's struggle with his sexuality and the pressure from his religious family to undergo conversion therapy.

    A beautiful, raw and compassionate memoir about identity, love and understanding. Now a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and Lucas Hedges, directed by Joel Edgerton.. The ... (Goodreads)

  21. Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls

    by Lauren Graham
    An intimate memoir of the actor's experience playing Lorelai Gilmore and her journey to becoming an author.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • In this collection of personal essays, the beloved star of, Gilmore Girls, and, Parenthood, reveals stories about life, love, and working as a woman in Hollywood—along ... (Barnes & Noble)

  22. North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail

    by Scott Jurek
    A memoir of Scott Jurek's journey running the 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail, exploring his personal growth and connection to nature.

    From the author of the bestseller, Eat and Run, a thrilling memoir about his grueling, exhilarating, and immensely inspiring 46-day run to break the speed record for the Appalachian Trail. Scott ... (Barnes & Noble)

  23. Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime

    by Ron Stallworth
    The true story of a black police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s.

    The #1, New York Times, Bestseller!,The extraordinary true story and basis for the Academy Award winning film, BlacKkKlansman, written and directed by Spike Lee, produced by Jordan Peele, and ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard

    by Liz Murray
    A remarkable story of redemption and hope, tracing a young woman's journey from poverty and homelessness to Harvard.

    In the vein of, The Glass Castle, Breaking Night is the stunning memoir of a young woman who at age fifteen was living on the streets, and who eventually made it into Harvard. Liz Murray was born to ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. Unfollow: A Journey from Hatred to Hope

    by Megan Phelps-Roper
    A memoir of a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church, detailing her journey from hate to empathy and compassion.

    The activist and TED speaker Megan Phelps-Roper reveals her life growing up in the most hated family in America,At the age of five, Megan Phelps-Roper began protesting homosexuality and other alleged ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays

    by Esmé Weijun Wang
    A collection of essays exploring the author's experiences with mental illness and the societal stigma surrounding it.

    An intimate, moving book written with the immediacy and directness of one who still struggles with the effects of mental and chronic illness, The Collected Schizophrenias cuts right to the core. ... (Goodreads)

  27. The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives

    by Dashka Slater
    Examines a single act of violence, exploring its impact on two disparate lives.

    A, New York Times, Bestseller Stonewall Book Award Winner—Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children's & Young Adult Literature Award,YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist One ... (Barnes & Noble)

  28. Just Kids

    by Patti Smith
    Chronicles of two young artists in New York City, finding friendship and inspiration in each other.

    In Just Kids , Patti Smith's first book of prose, the legendary American artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better

    by Gretchen Rubin
    A framework to better understand yourself and others, and the best way to get along with different personalities.

    In this groundbreaking analysis of personality type, bestselling author of, Better Than Before, and, The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin reveals the one simple question that will transform what you ... (Barnes & Noble)

  30. The Complete Persepolis

    by Marjane Satrapi
    Autobiographical tale of a girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

    Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed graphic memoir. Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving ... (Goodreads)