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If you loved
Books like Unbearable Lightness
A harrowing, deeply intimate descent into the obsessive pursuit of perfection and the grueling, beautiful climb back to self-acceptance. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Unbearable Lightness.
- claustrophobic
- anxious
- intense
- cathartic
- 01
Wasted
Marya Hornbacher · 1998
A visceral, unflinching descent into the claustrophobic grip of an eating disorder and the brutal fight to survive it.
- 02
Unsweetined
Jodie Sweetin · 2009
A brutally honest, nostalgia-shattering memoir that strips away the sitcom gloss to reveal the gritty reality of addiction and recovery.
- 03
Seriously--I'm kidding
Ellen DeGeneres
A breezy, conversational comedy set that feels like chatting with an upbeat friend who constantly goes on hilarious tangents.
- 04
Stick Figure
Lori Gottlieb
A sharp, unsettlingly relatable glimpse into the mind of a precocious girl navigating the toxic perfectionism of 1970s Beverly Hills.
- 05
Talking as fast as I can
Lauren Graham
A highly caffeinated, deeply comforting chat with a witty friend who has great stories and doesn't take herself too seriously.
- 06
She's come undone
Wally Lamb · 1992
A raw, darkly funny, and deeply empathetic plunge into the messy business of surviving your own life.
- 07
Wishful Drinking
Carrie Fisher · 2008
A razor-sharp, laugh-out-loud survival guide to Hollywood royalty, addiction, and the absurdity of being a human action figure.
- 08
Prozac nation
Elizabeth Wurtzel · 1994
A torrential, unapologetic plunge into the messy, chaotic reality of coming of age under the crushing weight of clinical depression.
- 09
Unbearable weight
Susan Bordo · 1993
A sharp, clarifying lens turned on the cultural forces that shape, police, and commodify the female body.
- 10
Drinking
Caroline Knapp · 1996
An extraordinarily candid memoir that strips away the liquid armor of addiction to reveal the vulnerable realities of coping with life.
- 11
Where Am I Now?
Mara Wilson
A witty, warmhearted memoir-in-essays about surviving childhood fame and navigating the awkward, anxious journey to becoming a regular person.
- 12
Furiously Happy
Jenny Lawson
A wildly tangential, laugh-out-loud manifesto on fighting crippling depression with weaponized absurdity.
