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Recommendations based on The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermitby Michael Finkel
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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)
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
by Atul Gawande
An exploration of the human experience of mortality and the importance of end-of-life care.
In, Being Mortal, author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending Medicine has triumphed in modern ... (Goodreads)
A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy
by Sue Klebold
A mother's story of her son's involvement in a school shooting and her journey of understanding and healing.
On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Over the course of minutes, they would kill twelve students and a teacher and wound ... (Goodreads)
Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic
by Sam Quinones
Exposé of the opioid crisis in America, from its origins to its devastating effects.
In fascinating detail, Sam Quinones chronicles how, over the past 15 years, enterprising sugar cane farmers in a small county on the west coast of Mexico created a unique distribution system that ... (Goodreads)
White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America
by Nancy Isenberg
An in-depth analysis of the history of class in America, examining the lasting impact of the Establishment's grip on power.
In her groundbreaking history of the class system in America, extending from colonial times to the present, Nancy Isenberg takes on our comforting myths about equality, uncovering the crucial legacy ... (Goodreads)
Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.
“This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging
by Sebastian Junger
An exploration of how the human need to belong influences our relationships and sense of identity.
Sebastian Junger, the bestselling author of War and The Perfect Storm , takes a critical look at post-traumatic stress disorder and the many challenges today’s returning veterans face in modern ... (Goodreads)
Lab Girl
by Hope Jahren
A memoir about a young woman's journey to discover her scientific calling and resilience.
Acclaimed scientist Hope Jahren has built three laboratories in which she’s studied trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. Her first book is a revelatory treatise on plant life—but it is also so much ... (Goodreads)
Columbine
by Dave Cullen
Investigation into the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, exploring the perpetrators and the aftermath.
"The tragedies keep coming. As we reel from the latest horror . . . " So begins a new epilogue, illustrating how Columbine became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a ... (Goodreads)
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
by Jon Krakauer
An exploration of the fundamentalist Mormon faith, its history, and the power of religious extremism.
A Story of Violent Faith A multilayered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, savage violence, polygamy, and unyielding faith. This is vintage Krakauer, an utterly compelling work of ... (Goodreads)
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
by Kate Moore
Uncovering the untold story of female factory workers poisoned by radium paint in 1920s America.
A New York Times , USA Today , Wall Street Journal , and Amazon Charts Bestseller! For fans of Hidden Figures, comes the incredible true story of the women heroes who were exposed to radium in ... (Barnes & Noble)
A Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson
A captivating overview of the natural sciences, spanning the history of the universe.
In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory ... (Goodreads)
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster
by Jon Krakauer
A gripping narrative of the 1996 expedition on Mount Everest that resulted in tragedy.
When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. ... (Goodreads)
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
by David Grann
Exposé of a series of murders of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma and the FBI's investigation.
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, ... (Goodreads)
Gratitude
by Oliver Sacks
A collection of essays on the importance of gratitude in life, written by the renowned neurologist and author Oliver Sacks.
“My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved. I have been given much and I have given something in return. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on ... (Goodreads)
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy
by Sheryl Sandberg
An exploration of resilience in the face of adversity, and hope in the midst of tragedy.
From Facebook’s COO and Wharton’s top-rated professor, the #1 New York Times best-selling authors of Lean In and Originals: a powerful, inspiring, and practical book about building resilience and ... (Goodreads)
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
by Hans Rosling
A data-driven book that challenges common misconceptions about the world and presents a more accurate, optimistic view of global progress.
Factfulness:, The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts. When asked simple questions about global trends— what percentage of the world’s ... (Goodreads)
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family
by Amy Ellis Nutt
The true story of a transgender girl and her family's journey to acceptance and understanding.
The inspiring true story of a transgender girl, her identical twin brother, and an ordinary American family’s extraordinary journey to understand, nurture, and celebrate the uniqueness in us all, ... (Goodreads)
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
by Piers Paul Read
Story of a group of Uruguayan rugby players who survive a plane crash in the Andes and must fight to stay alive.
On October 12, 1972, a plane carrying a team of young rugby players crashed into the remote, snow-peaked Andes. Out of the forty-five original passengers and crew, only sixteen made it off the ... (Goodreads)
The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own
by Joshua Becker
A guide to minimalism, encouraging readers to declutter and simplify their lives to find true happiness and purpose.
Don’t Settle for More Most of us know we own too much stuff. We feel the weight and burden of our clutter, and we tire of cleaning and managing and organizing. While excess consumption leads to ... (Barnes & Noble)
Orange Is the New Black
by Piper Kerman
A memoir of a woman's experiences in prison, exploring the effects of incarceration.
With her career, live-in boyfriend and loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the rebellious young woman who got mixed up with drug runners and delivered a suitcase of drug money to Europe over ... (Goodreads)
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
by Bill Bryson
A humorous account of a man's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, reflecting on the beauty and history of the American wilderness.
The book starts with Bryson explaining his curiosity about the Appalachian Trail near his house. He and his old friend Stephen Katz start hiking the trail from Georgia in the South , and stumble in ... (Wikipedia)
American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land
by Monica Hesse
True crime story of a couple's arson spree in rural Virginia and the community's response. A portrait of a struggling small town.
Shocked by a five-month arson spree that left rural Virginia reeling, Washington Post reporter Monica Hesse drove down to Accomack County to cover the trial of Charlie Smith, who pled guilty to ... (Goodreads)
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives
by Gretchen Rubin
A practical guide to creating and maintaining good habits, based on personal experiences and scientific research.
NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • The author of, The Happiness Project, and “a force for real change” (Brené Brown) examines how changing our habits can change our lives. “If anyone can help us stop ... (Barnes & Noble)
Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations
by Thomas L. Friedman
An examination of the impact of the digital revolution on society, and the potential for optimism in the face of change.
A field guide to the twenty-first century, written by one of its most celebrated observers In his most ambitious work to date, Thomas L. Friedman shows that we have entered an age of dizzying ... (Goodreads)
Zeitoun
by Dave Eggers
A man's struggle to survive and reunite with his family amidst the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Abdulrahman Zeitoun grew up in Syria. After a few years of apprenticeship in the Syrian port city of Jableh , Zeitoun spent twenty years working at sea as a muscleman, engineer and fisherman. During ... (Wikipedia)
Half Broke Horses
by Jeannette Walls
A novel based on the life of the author's grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, a resilient and adventurous woman who overcomes numerous obstacles in the American West.
Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle was "nothing short of spectacular" (Entertainment Weekly). Now, in Half Broke Horses, she brings us the story of her grandmother, told in a first-person ... (Goodreads)
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
by Steve Martin
A memoir of the comedian's rise to fame, from the early days of stand-up comedy to the heights of success.
In the midseventies, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. This book is, in his own words, the ... (Goodreads)
Leonardo da Vinci
by Walter Isaacson
Biography of the world's greatest polymath, exploring his legacy of art and science.
The #1, New York Times, bestseller from Walter Isaacson brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this exciting new biography that is “a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it...Most ... (Barnes & Noble)
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery
by Scott Kelly
Astronaut shares his story of a year in space, and the power of perseverance and resilience.
"A stunning memoir from the astronaut who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station – a candid account of his remarkable voyage, the journeys that preceded it, and his ... (Goodreads)
