Books like

Books like Mao's Last Dancer

12 books with a reading profile close to Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin. Clear-cut; an easy read.

1

My Beloved World

by Sonia Sotomayor

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

In this memoir, Sonia Sotomayor traces her life from a childhood in a Bronx housing project to her appointment as a federal judge.
2

God's Smuggler

by Brother Andrew

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

Born into a working-class Dutch family and hardened by military service in Indonesia, Andrew van der Bijl finds dynamic faith that leads him across the Iron Curtain.
3

Desert Flower

by Waris Dirie

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

Born in the Somali desert, Waris Dirie describes her early life as a nomad, herding livestock and navigating a harsh landscape before fleeing an arranged marriage at thirteen.
4

My Story

by Elizabeth Smart

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

In 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted at knife-point from her bedroom in Salt Lake City.
5

Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home

by Nando Parrado

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

On October 13, 1972, a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team crashed in the Andes.
6

From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way

by Jesse Thistle

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

Jesse Thistle was born to a Métis and Cree father and a Scottish-Canadian mother, and was abandoned with his brothers by his parents as a small child.
7

Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear

by Jinger Duggar Vuolo

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

Jinger Duggar Vuolo recounts her departure from the legalistic teachings of Bill Gothard and the Institute in Basic Life Principles.
8

A Long Way Home

by Saroo Brierley

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

At five years old, Saroo Brierley fell asleep on a parked train in rural India and woke up thousands of miles away in Kolkata.
9

The Water Is Wide

by Pat Conroy

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

In 1969, Pat Conroy moved to Yamacraw Island, a remote landmass off the South Carolina coast, to teach at a two-room schoolhouse.
10

The Beauty in Breaking

by Michele Harper

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

Michele Harper, an emergency room physician, details her life through a series of clinical encounters and personal upheavals.
11

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

by Eben Alexander

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

Eben Alexander describes his 2008 medical crisis when a rare strain of E.
12

All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir

by Beth Moore

Also clear-cut · memoir, inspirational

In this memoir, Beth Moore recounts her upbringing in Arkansas and Texas, revealing the private instability that existed behind her public image as a Bible teacher.

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