Recommendations based on Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questloveby Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson

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

  1. 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)

  2. 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)

  3. Men Explain Things to Me

    by Rebecca Solnit
    Examines the cultural phenomenon of men explaining things to women without full understanding of the topic.

    In her comic, scathing essay “Men Explain Things to Me,” Rebecca Solnit took on what often goes wrong in conversations between men and women. She wrote about men who wrongly assume they know things ... (Goodreads)

  4. Mortality

    by Christopher Hitchens
    Reflections on the inevitability of death, drawing on personal and philosophical insights.

    On June 8, 2010, while on a book tour for his bestselling memoir, Hitch-22 , Christopher Hitchens was stricken in his New York hotel room with excruciating pain in his chest and thorax. As he would ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

    by Lawrence Wright
    An investigative look into the controversial religion of Scientology, its origins, practices, and impact on its followers.

    A clear-sighted revelation, a deep penetration into the world of Scientology by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the now-classic study of al-Qaeda's 9/11 attack, the Looming Tower . Based on more ... (Goodreads)

  6. H is for Hawk

    by Helen Macdonald
    A journey of grief and healing, told through the eyes of a goshawk.

    Obsession, madness, memory, myth, and history combine to achieve a distinctive blend of nature writing and memoir from an outstanding literary innovator. When Helen Macdonald's father died suddenly ... (Goodreads)

  7. Girl in a Band

    by Kim Gordon
    A memoir of a female rock musician's struggles to find her identity in the music scene.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER Kim Gordon, founding member of Sonic Youth, fashion icon, and role model for a generation of women, now tells her story—a memoir of life as an artist, of music, marriage, ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Monster of Florence

    by Douglas Preston
    An investigative journalist's journey to uncover the truth behind a grisly serial killer.

    In the nonfiction tradition of John Berendt and Erik Larson, the author of the #1, NYT, bestseller, The Lost City of the Monkey God, presents a gripping account of crime and punishment in the lush ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

    by Allie Brosh
    A humorous and candid account of the author's life, exploring the highs and lows of everyday life.

    #1, New York Times, Bestseller “Funny and smart as hell” (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh’s, Hyperbole and a Half, showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with ... (Barnes & Noble)

  10. The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World

    by A.J. Jacobs
    An exploration of knowledge and the pursuit of wisdom, through an attempt to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica.

    Part memoir and part education (or lack thereof), The Know-It-All chronicles NPR contributor A.J. Jacobs's hilarious, enlightening, and seemingly impossible quest to read the Encyclopaedia Britannica ... (Goodreads)

  11. Black Boy

    by Richard Wright
    Autobiographical account of a young black man's struggle against racism and oppression.

    A special 75th anniversary edition of Richard Wright's powerful and unforgettable memoir, with a new foreword by John Edgar Wideman and an afterword by Malcolm Wright, the author’s grandson. When it ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Assata: An Autobiography

    by Assata Shakur
    A powerful memoir of her struggles and triumphs in the face of racism and oppression.

    On May 2, 1973, Black Panther Assata Shakur (aka JoAnne Chesimard) lay in a hospital, close to death, handcuffed to her bed, while local, state, and federal police attempted to question her about the ... (Goodreads)

  13. Miles: The Autobiography

    by Miles Davis
    An autobiographical account of the life of jazz music legend and innovator Miles Davis.

    For more than forty years Miles Davis has been in the front rank of American music. Universally acclaimed as a musical genius, Miles is one of the most important and influential musicians in the ... (Goodreads)

  14. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

    by Jon Krakauer
    A harrowing account of sexual assaults in Missoula, Montana and the failures of the justice system to bring justice to the victims.

    Missoula, Montana, is a typical college town, home to a highly regarded state university whose beloved football team inspires a passionately loyal fan base. Between January 2008 and May 2012, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?

    by Roz Chast
    A graphic memoir about a daughter's relationship with her aging parents.

    The book's storyline, spanning an eight-year period from 2001 to 2009, concerns Roz Chast's parents living in Brooklyn . The book describes various interactions between Chast and her parents. Chast, ... (Wikipedia)

  16. So You've Been Publicly Shamed

    by Jon Ronson
    An exploration of the impact of public shaming in the digital age, and its implications for justice.

    For the past three years, Jon Ronson has travelled the world meeting recipients of high-profile public shamings. The shamed are people like us - people who, say, made a joke on social media that came ... (Goodreads)

  17. If This Is a Man • The Truce

    by Primo Levi
    A memoir of Primo Levi's time in Auschwitz and his journey home. The Truce follows his travels through war-torn Europe.

    'With the moral stamina and intellectual poise of a twentieth-century Titan, this slightly built, dutiful, unassuming chemist set out systematically to remember the German hell on earth, steadfastly ... (Goodreads)

  18. Hidden Figures

    by Margot Lee Shetterly
    The untold story of the African-American women who made invaluable contributions to NASA's space program in the 1960s.

    The #1 New York Times Bestseller. Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space ... (Goodreads)

  19. No Logo

    by Naomi Klein
    A critique of the negative impact of corporate branding and globalization on society and culture.

    With a new Afterword to the 2002 edition, No Logo employs journalistic savvy and personal testament to detail the insidious practices and far-reaching effects of corporate marketing—and the powerful ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Wretched of the Earth

    by Frantz Fanon
    A political analysis of colonialism and its effects on the global underclass.

    A distinguished psychiatrist from Martinique who took part in the Algerian Nationalist Movement, Frantz Fanon was one of the most important theorists of revolutionary struggle, colonialism, and ... (Goodreads)

  21. Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

    by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
    An exploration of the Wild Woman archetype and the ways she has been repressed throughout history.

    Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered ... (Goodreads)

  22. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

    by Cheryl Strayed
    Collection of heartfelt advice from a wise and compassionate storyteller.

    Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills - and it can be great: you've had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the ... (Goodreads)

  23. 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)

  24. In a Sunburned Country

    by Bill Bryson
    Exploration of the unique and diverse land, people and animals of Australia.

    A CLASSIC FROM THE, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF, ONE SUMMER , Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door, memorable travel literature threatens to break out. His previous excursion along the ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History

    by Elizabeth Kolbert
    Examination of the current extinction of species caused by human activity and the potential global implications.

    Over the last half-billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring ... (Goodreads)

  26. Travels with Charley: In Search of America

    by John Steinbeck
    A road trip across America, exploring the culture and landscape of the country.

    A quest across America, from the northernmost tip of Maine to California’s Monterey Peninsula To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the ... (Goodreads)

  27. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History

    by Art Spiegelman
    A graphic novel depicting the traumatic experiences of a Holocaust survivor and his son.

    The first installment of the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” (Wall Street Journal) and “the first ... (Goodreads)

  28. Open

    by Andre Agassi
    Autobiographical account of a tennis star's career, struggles, and personal growth.

    From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful, haunting autobiography. Agassi’s incredibly rigorous ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

    by Tom Wolfe
    A journey through the psychedelic 1960s and the lives of an eclectic group of people.

    Tom Wolfe chronicles the adventures of Ken Kesey and his group of followers. Throughout the work, Kesey is portrayed as desiring the creation of a new religion. Kesey forms a group of followers based ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

    by Mindy Kaling
    Humorous memoir reflecting on Mindy Kaling's life and career.

    Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck - impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, ... (Goodreads)