Recommendations based on Year of the Monkeyby Patti Smith

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

  1. M Train

    by Patti Smith
    A memoir of Patti Smith's travels, musings, and creative inspirations, from cafes in New York to graves in Paris.

    M Train begins in the tiny Greenwich Village café where Smith goes every morning for black coffee, ruminates on the world as it is and the world as it was, and writes in her notebook. Through prose ... (Goodreads)

  2. 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)

  3. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl

    by Carrie Brownstein
    Music memoir of a punk rock pioneer, her struggles and triumphs in the music industry.

    From a leader of feminist punk music at the dawn of the riot-grrrl era, a candid and deeply personal look at life in rock and roll. Before Carrie Brownstein codeveloped and starred in the wildly ... (Goodreads)

  4. A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II

    by Sonia Purnell
    The incredible true story of Virginia Hall, an American spy who worked undercover in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

    A, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER,Chosen as a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by, NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, the, Seattle Times, the, Washington Independent Review of Books,, PopSugar, the, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. Silent Spring

    by Rachel Carson
    Expose of the environmental damage caused by the widespread use of chemical pesticides.

    Silent Spring is an environmental science book. The book documents the adverse environmental effects caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading ... (Goodreads)

  6. When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

    by Pema Chödrön
    A guide to finding peace and strength in times of chaos and uncertainty, using Buddhist teachings and personal anecdotes.

    Pema Chödrön's perennially best-selling classic on overcoming life's difficulties cuts to the heart of spirituality and personal growth—now in a newly designed 20th-anniversary edition with a new ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

    by Julia Cameron
    Exploring the power of the creative spirit and unlocking the potential of the inner artist.

    The Artist’s Way is the seminal book on the subject of creativity. An international bestseller, millions of readers have found it to be an invaluable guide to living the artist’s life. Still as vital ... (Goodreads)

  8. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

    by Elizabeth Gilbert
    Overcoming the fear of creativity and living an inspired life.

    Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Gilbert offers insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Fire Next Time

    by James Baldwin
    Reflection on the plight of African Americans in a candid and deeply moving essay.

    A national bestseller when it first appeared in 1963, The Fire Next Time galvanized the nation and gave passionate voice to the emerging civil rights movement. At once a powerful evocation of James ... (Goodreads)

  10. 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)

  11. Chronicles: Volume One

    by Bob Dylan
    A memoir tracking Bob Dylan's musical journey from humble beginnings to iconic status.

    WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE The celebrated first memoir from arguably the most influential singer-songwriter in the country, Bob Dylan. “I’d come from a long ways off and had started a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation

    by Ari Folman
    A graphic adaptation of Anne Frank's diary, depicting her life in hiding during the Holocaust.

    The only graphic novelization of Anne Frank's diary that has been authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation and that uses text from the diary–it will introduce a new generation of young readers to this ... (Goodreads)

  13. I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives

    by Caitlin Alifirenka
    True story of the meaningful friendship between an American teen and a girl from Zimbabwe, sparked by a letter.

    The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Yellow House

    by Sarah M. Broom
    A memoir of a family and their home in New Orleans, exploring the impact of race, class, and Hurricane Katrina on their lives.

    In 1961, Sarah M. Broom's mother Ivory Mae bought a shotgun house in the then-promising neighborhood of New Orleans East and built her world inside of it. It was the height of the Space Race and the ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World Impressionism

    by Ross King
    The story of the rise of Impressionism in Paris during the 1860s and 1870s, focusing on the Salon des Refusés and the works of Manet, Monet, and Renoir.

    With a novelist's skill and the insight of an historian, bestselling author Ross King recalls a seminal period when Paris was the artistic center of the world, and the rivalry between Meissonier and ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World

    by Patrik Svensson
    A blend of memoir, nature writing, and science, exploring the mysterious life cycle of eels and their cultural significance.

    National Bestseller Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction A, New York Times, Notable Book One of TIME’s 100 Must Read Books ... (Barnes & Noble)

  17. The Heart of a Woman

    by Maya Angelou
    A lyrical memoir of a woman's struggle for independence and self-fulfillment.

    Maya Angelou has fascinated, moved, and inspired countless readers with the first three volumes of her autobiography, one of the most remarkable personal narratives of our age. Now, in her fourth ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying

    by Nina Riggs
    A poignant memoir of a woman's journey through terminal cancer, exploring life, love, and mortality with grace and humor.

    * INSTANT, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER * “Stunning...heartrending...this year’s, When Breath Becomes Air,.” —Nora Krug,, The Washington Post, “Beautiful and haunting.” —Matt McCarthy, MD,, USA TODAY, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair

    by Anne Lamott
    A memoir on the author's journey through addiction, loss, and grief, finding hope and healing through faith, community, and creativity.

    “Lamott’s …most insightful book yet,, Stitches, offers plenty of her characteristic witty wisdom…this slim, readable volume [is] a lens on life, widening and narrowing, encouraging each reader to ... (Goodreads)

  20. Sonnets from the Portuguese

    by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    A collection of love sonnets written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning to her husband, Robert Browning.

    "I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett . . . I love you too", Robert Browning wrote in January 1845, thus initiating the most celebrated literary correspondence of the 19th century. ... (Goodreads)

  21. Walk Through Walls: A Memoir

    by Marina Abramović
    A journey of self-discovery and exploration of the power of art and performance.

    “I had experienced absolute freedom—I had felt that my body was without boundaries, limitless; that pain didn’t matter, that nothing mattered at all—and it intoxicated me.” In 2010, more than 750,000 ... (Goodreads)

  22. Step Aside, Pops

    by Kate Beaton
    Collection of humorous comics that poke fun at classic literature and history.

    Six months on the, New York Times, bestseller list! Featured on 25 best of the year lists! , “Somewhere in my heart is a folder titled Things I Did Not Know I Wanted and it is full of Kate Beaton ... (Barnes & Noble)

  23. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

    by David W. Blight
    A comprehensive biography of Frederick Douglass, the former slave who became a leading abolitionist and one of America's greatest orators.

    As a young man, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one ... (Goodreads)

  24. Wave

    by Sonali Deraniyagala
    Memoir of a family's tragic loss in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and a woman's journey of resilience and recovery.

    On the morning of December 26, 2004, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsunami she miraculously survived. In this ... (Goodreads)

  25. Ten Days in a Mad-House

    by Nellie Bly
    Nellie Bly goes undercover in a mental institution to expose the mistreatment of patients. A shocking and eye-opening account of the horrors of the asylum system.

    In 1887, 23-year-old reporter Nellie Bly had herself committed to a New York City asylum for 10 days to expose the horrific conditions for 19th-century century mental patients. ... (Goodreads)

  26. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee

    by Casey Cep
    The true crime story of Reverend Willie Maxwell and the trial that fascinated Harper Lee.

    The story of an Alabama serial killer and the true-crime book that Harper Lee worked on obsessively in the years after To Kill a Mockingbird . Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Americans

    by Robert Frank
    A photographic journey through America in the 1950s, capturing the essence of American culture and society.

    Introduction by Jack Kerouac. There is no question that Robert Frank's The Americans is the most famous and influential photography book ever published. It was 1959 when the book first came out: a ... (Goodreads)

  28. Inside Out

    by Demi Moore
    Memoir of Demi Moore's life, including her rise to fame, struggles with addiction, and personal relationships.

    Una historia de supervivencia, éxito y rendición. Un retrato desgarradoramente honesto de una mujer con una vida tan icónica como normal. Durante décadas, Demi Moore ha sido sinónimo de celebridad. ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones

    by Anthony Bourdain
    A collection of essays and articles by Anthony Bourdain, exploring the world of food and travel with his signature wit and irreverence.

    New York Times, Bestseller The good, the bad, and the ugly, served up Bourdain-style. Bestselling chef and No Reservations host Anthony Bourdain has never been one to pull punches. In The Nasty Bits ... (Goodreads)

  30. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

    by Maya Angelou
    Autobiographical account of a Black woman's journey to find her identity in a prejudiced society.

    Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide. Her life story is told in the documentary film And Still I Rise, as seen on PBS’s American Masters. Here is a book as ... (Goodreads)