Lena Dunham

This memoir follows author Hilary Mantel's upbringing in postwar rural England and her pursuit of unlikely accomplishments. However, after marriage, she experiences persistent pain and ineffective medical treatment, leading to a life without children. Through it all, she finds solace in writing novels.

Love Lockdown explores the lives of five couples who fell in love while one partner was in prison, shedding light on the experiences of millions of Americans. Investigative journalist Elizabeth Greenwood takes readers on a fascinating deep-dive into the world of prison relationships, including conjugal visits and weddings. This book offers a unique perspective on the American prison system and the desire and delusion that we all experience in our romantic pairings.

This ground-breaking memoir delves into the mind of an over-diagnosed generation characterized by Kurt Cobain, Xanax, and pierced tongues. Chronicling her journey through depression and drug abuse, Elizabeth Wurtzel offers a witty and poignant exploration of psychopharmacology during a unique era. A must-read for fans of Girl, Interrupted and Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar.

This memoir follows an eighteen-year-old girl who spent two years in a psychiatric hospital during the late sixties. The hospital was known for its famous clientele and progressive methods. The author provides vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers, while also exploring the definitions of sanity, insanity, mental illness, and recovery. With horror and sharp perception, this book offers a clear-eyed and unflinching look into a parallel universe.

This memoir delves into the life of someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The author takes readers on a journey through the height of her illness, where she is controlled by rigid routines and fears of contracting diseases. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, the author brings humor and honesty to her story, making her relatable and likable. Ultimately, this book reminds us that many of us have our own irrational worries and fears, and it's important to sympathize and understand those who struggle with mental illness.

Learn how to rise strong from life's challenges with this powerful book. Drawing on the author's own experience and research, we're shown how to own our stories of disappointment, failure, and heartbreak to write a daring new ending. Struggle can be our greatest call to courage, and rising strong our clearest path to deeper meaning, wisdom, and hope.

"So Sad Today" is a thought-provoking book that explores existential themes such as anxiety, love, addiction, and waiting for the universe to text back. Author Melissa Broder's journey delves deeper into the topics she previously explored on her anonymous Twitter handle @sosadtoday. With refreshing honesty and humor, Broder examines questions that most of us are afraid to even acknowledge, aiming to discover what it truly means to be a person in this modern world.

This award-winning nonfiction collection by Leslie Jamison explores the subject of empathy through personal loss, medical acting, poverty tourism, and more. Jamison asks important questions about our understanding of others and how we care for each other. Through her own experiences of illness and injury, she uncovers a cultural need to feel and understand. A thought-provoking and beautifully written exploration of empathy in our society.

Explore the daily rituals of 161 inspiring minds, including novelists, poets, painters, and scientists. Discover their subtle maneuvers and self-imposed obstacles that help them tackle the work they love, whether it's waking early, staying up late, or self-medicating with doughnuts. You'll learn about the bizarre creative conditions of Thomas Wolfe, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Descartes, as well as the strict writing schedules of Anthony Trollope and Charles Dickens. Full of detail and anecdote, Daily Rituals is a must-read for anyone looking to unlock their own creative potential.