Books like

Books like Truth & Beauty

12 books with a reading profile close to Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett. Inward-looking and contemplative; an easy read.

  1. 1 The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

    The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

    by James McBride

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    James McBride alternates between his own upbringing in a Brooklyn housing project and the oral history of his mother, Ruth Jordan.

  2. 2 When All Is Said

    When All Is Said

    by Anne Griffin

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    Maurice Hannigan, an elderly Irish farmer, sits in a pub in a small town one evening and orders five drinks, one for each person who has been important in his life.

  3. 3 Wat ik nooit eerder heb gezegd

    Wat ik nooit eerder heb gezegd

    by Celeste Ng

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    Set in 1970s Ohio, the narrative begins with the death of Lydia Lee, the favorite daughter of a mixed-race couple.

  4. 4 All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me

    All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me

    by Patrick Bringley

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    After the sudden death of his older brother, Patrick Bringley left his high-pressure job at The New Yorker to work as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

  5. 5 The End of Eddy

    The End of Eddy

    by Édouard Louis

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    Eddy Bellegueule grows up in a poor village in northern France, in a family where men are expected to be tough and unemployment and alcohol are common.

  6. 6 Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

    Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

    by Alexandra Fuller

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    Alexandra Fuller outlines her upbringing in 1970s and 80s Rhodesia, Malawi, and Zambia during a period of violent decolonization.

  7. 7 Just Kids

    Just Kids

    by Patti Smith

    Also inward-looking · memoir, narrative

    Just Kids chronicles the relationship between Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, beginning with their chance meeting in Brooklyn in 1967.

  8. 8 Moab Is My Washpot

    Moab Is My Washpot

    by Stephen Fry

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    In this memoir, Stephen Fry recounts his first twenty years, focusing on his turbulent education at various English boarding schools and his eventual imprisonment.

  9. 9 Stitches: A Memoir

    Stitches: A Memoir

    by David Small

    Also inward-looking · memoir, narrative

    David Small’s graphic memoir recounts his childhood in 1950s Detroit, living in a household defined by emotional withdrawal and medical negligence.

  10. 10 The Tender Bar: A Memoir

    The Tender Bar: A Memoir

    by J.R. Moehringer

    Also inward-looking · memoir, narrative

    J.R.

  11. 11 Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?

    Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?

    by Roz Chast

    Also inward-looking and contemplative · memoir, narrative

    Roz Chast uses a mix of cartoons, sketches, and personal photographs to document the final years of her aging parents, George and Elizabeth.

  12. 12 This Boy's Life

    This Boy's Life

    by Tobias Wolff

    Also inward-looking · memoir, narrative

    Tobias Wolff’s memoir recounts his nomadic upbringing in the 1950s as he travels across the United States with his divorced mother to escape an abusive boyfriend.

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