Books like Good Talk

A sharp, tender, and deeply relatable exploration of the impossible questions we ask the people we love. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Good Talk.

intimate
reflective
bittersweet
vulnerable

01
Messy Roots
Laura Gao
A visually engaging, heartfelt journey through the intersections of queer identity and the Chinese-American immigrant experience.
Shares:
- reflective
- vulnerable
- candid
02
Minor Feelings
Cathy Park Hong
A razor-sharp, deeply vulnerable dissection of the dissonance between American optimism and the reality of marginalized existence.
Shares:
- intimate
- vulnerable
- wry
03
How to understand Israel in 60 days or less
Sarah Glidden
A deeply earnest, watercolor-washed journey through the messy intersection of personal identity and geopolitical reality.
Shares:
- reflective
- anxious
04
The cost of living
Deborah Levy
A vibrant, urgent reflection on dismantling the social hierarchies that diminish women, in pursuit of a life lived with meaning, pleasure, and ultimate freedom.
Shares:
- reflective
05
The Arab of the future
Riad Sattouf
A visually striking and candid graphic memoir that filters the chaos of political idealism and cultural displacement through the wide eyes of a nomadic child.
Shares:
- wry
- candid
06
Displacement
Lucy Knisley
A tender, watercolor-washed journey through the choppy waters of caregiving, memory, and generational love.
Shares:
- reflective
- bittersweet
- wry
- tender
07
Gender Queer
Maia Kobabe
A deeply vulnerable, beautifully illustrated journey through the messy, confusing, and ultimately joyful process of finding the right words for who you are.
Shares:
- vulnerable
- candid
- tender
- anxious
08
Sissy
Jacob Tobia
A funny, deeply moving exploration of growing up outside the gender binary that balances heartache with abundant joy.
Shares:
- reflective
- vulnerable
- candid
09
Shortcomings
Adrian Tomine
A sharp, uncomfortable, and darkly funny portrait of a deeply flawed man systematically sabotaging his own life.
Shares:
- wry
10
How to Be Ace
Rebecca Burgess
A candid, deeply validating graphic memoir about the messy, anxious, and ultimately joyful journey of figuring out who you aren't, so you can embrace who you are.
Shares:
- vulnerable
- candid
- anxious
11
Recollections of My Nonexistence
Rebecca Solnit
A lyrical, fiercely intelligent exploration of finding your voice and taking up space in a world designed to silence you.
Feels:
- atmospheric
- shadowed
- defiant
12
Relish
Lucy Knisley
A warm, mouth-watering celebration of growing up, finding yourself, and eating really good cheese along the way.
Feels:
- cozy
- mouth-watering
- comforting

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