Recommendations based on Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelleyby Charlotte Gordon

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette

    by Hampton Sides
    An epic tale of survival and exploration in the unforgiving Arctic Ocean.

    On July 8, 1879, Captain George Washington De Long and his team of thirty-two men set sail from San Francisco on the USS Jeanette. Heading deep into uncharted Arctic waters, they carried the ... (Goodreads)

  2. Hamilton: The Revolution

    by Lin-Manuel Miranda
    A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the groundbreaking musical "Hamilton", and its impact on American culture.

    A backstage pass to the groundbreaking, hit musical, Hamilton, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, including the award-winning libretto, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  3. Between the World and Me

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.

    “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)

  4. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

    by Matthew Desmond
    An exploration of eviction’s devastating consequences on the lives of the urban poor.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF, TIME,’S TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE • One of the most acclaimed books of our time, this modern classic “has set a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

    by Barbara Demick
    Exploration of the lives of North Koreans during the famine and repression of the 1990s.

    Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the unchallenged rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and the ... (Goodreads)

  6. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

    by Charles Duhigg
    Uncovering the science of habit formation and how to use it to achieve success.

    A young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. The patterns ... (Goodreads)

  7. Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire

    by Amanda Foreman
    A captivating biography of the 18th century aristocratic society, highlighting the life of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.

    The winner of Britain's prestigious Whitbread Prize and a bestseller there for months, this wonderfully readable biography offers a rich, rollicking picture of late-eighteenth-century British ... (Goodreads)

  8. Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery

    by Robert Kolker
    The true story of the unsolved murders of five young women in Long Island, and the societal issues that contributed to their deaths.

    Award-winning investigative reporter Robert Kolker delivers a humanizing account of the true-life search for a serial killer still at large on Long Island and presents the first detailed look at the ... (Goodreads)

  9. Pimp: The Story of My Life

    by Iceberg Slim
    Autobiography of a former pimp, detailing his life in the underworld of prostitution and crime.

    Robert (Iceberg Slim) Beck's first book is told without bitterness and with no pretense at moralizing. It is the smells, the sounds, the fears and the petty triumphs in the world of the street pimp. ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human

    by V.S. Ramachandran
    A journey into the mysteries of the human mind, exploring the complexities of the human brain.

    V. S. Ramachandran is at the forefront of his field-so much so that Richard Dawkins dubbed him the "Marco Polo of neuroscience." Now, in a major new work, Ramachandran sets his sights on the mystery ... (Goodreads)

  11. Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader

    by Brent Schlender
    A biography of Steve Jobs that explores his transformation from a brash young entrepreneur to a visionary leader of Apple.

    #1 New York Times Bestseller There have been many books—on a large and small scale—about Steve Jobs, one of the most famous CEOs in history. But this book is different from all the others. Becoming ... (Goodreads)

  12. Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx

    by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
    A non-fiction account of two young women and their families living in poverty in the Bronx, navigating love, drugs, and survival.

    In her extraordinary bestseller, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc immerses readers in the intricacies of the ghetto, revealing the true sagas lurking behind the headlines of gangsta glamour, gold-drenched drug ... (Goodreads)

  13. Non-Fiction

    by Chuck Palahniuk
    A collection of stories exploring modern life, each with its own unique twist.

    Chuck Palahniuk's world has been, well, different from yours and mine. The pieces that comprise Non-Fiction prove just how different, in ways both highly entertaining and deeply unsettling. ... (Goodreads)

  14. Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five

    by John Medina
    Guide to parenting and raising a healthy, happy and intelligent child.

    What’s the single most important thing you can do during pregnancy? What does watching TV do to a child’s brain? What’s the best way to handle temper tantrums? Scientists know. In his New York Times ... (Goodreads)

  15. My Life on the Road

    by Gloria Steinem
    Steinem's memoir of her travels as a feminist activist, sharing stories of the people and experiences that shaped her life and work.

    Gloria Steinem—writer, activist, organizer, and one of the most inspiring leaders in the world—now tells a story she has never told before, a candid account of how her early years led her to live an ... (Goodreads)

  16. On Immunity: An Inoculation

    by Eula Biss
    An exploration of the cultural implications of vaccination and its impact on society.

    Upon becoming a new mother, Eula Biss addresses a chronic condition of fear–fear of the government, the medical establishment, and what is in your child's air, food, mattress, medicine, and vaccines. ... (Goodreads)

  17. Van Gogh: The Life

    by Steven Naifeh
    A comprehensive biography of the renowned painter, exploring his life and legacy.

    Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, who galvanized readers with their Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of Jackson Pollock, have written another tour de force—an exquisitely detailed, compellingly ... (Goodreads)

  18. Heavy

    by Kiese Laymon
    A memoir of a black man's struggle with weight, trauma, and identity in America.

    *Named a Best Book of 2018 by the, New York Times,, Publishers Weekly,, NPR,, Broadly, Buzzfeed (Nonfiction), The Undefeated,, Library Journal ,(Biography/Memoirs),, The Washington Post ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. Meditations

    by Marcus Aurelius
    Reflections on Stoic philosophy, exploring the nature of existence and how to live life.

    Written in Greek by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher, without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness

    by Elyn R. Saks
    Story of a woman's struggles with schizophrenia and her journey of recovery.

    Elyn Saks is a success by any measure: she's an endowed professor at the prestigious University of Southern California Gould School of Law. She has managed to achieve this in spite of being diagnosed ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Sound of Gravel

    by Ruth Wariner
    A memoir of growing up in a polygamist cult in Mexico, and the author's journey to escape and find her own path.

    An instant, New York Times, bestseller “A haunting, harrowing testament to survival." —, People Magazine, “An addictive chronicle of a polygamist community.” —, New York Magazine, “Unforgettable” —, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  22. A Long Way Home

    by Saroo Brierley
    Autobiography of a man's journey to find his family after becoming lost in India as a child.

    When Saroo Brierley used Google Earth to find his long-lost home town half a world away, he made global headlines. Saroo had become lost on a train in India at the age of five. Not knowing the name ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Secret History of Wonder Woman

    by Jill Lepore
    The story of the origins and evolution of Wonder Woman and her creator, William Moulton Marston.

    A cultural history of Wonder Woman traces the character's creation and enduring popularity, drawing on interviews and archival research to reveal the pivotal role of feminism in shaping her ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Shepherd's Life: A People's History of the Lake District

    by James Rebanks
    A chronicle of life in the Lake District of England, exploring the traditional way of life of shepherds.

    Some people's lives are entirely their own creations. James Rebanks' isn't. The first son of a shepherd, who was the first son of a shepherd himself, he and his family have lived and worked in and ... (Goodreads)

  25. Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

    by Frans de Waal
    Examining the intelligence of animals and their potential for morality and culture.

    Hailed as a classic, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? explores the oddities and complexities of animal cognition―in crows, dolphins, parrots, sheep, wasps, bats, chimpanzees, and ... (Goodreads)

  26. Humans of New York: Stories

    by Brandon Stanton
    A collection of poignant and inspiring stories of individuals living in New York City.

    The #1, New York Times, Bestseller! With over 500 vibrant, full-color photos,, Humans of New York: Stories, is an insightful and inspiring collection of portraits of the lives of New Yorkers. Humans ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys

    by Viv Albertine
    A memoir of a young woman's journey to self-expression and liberation in the punk rock music scene.

    The guitarist for seminal female punk group The Slits recounts playing with Sid Vicious, touring with the Clash, dating Mick Jones, inspiring “Train in Vain,” and releasing her solo debut in 2012 Viv ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Monster of Florence

    by Douglas Preston
    An investigative journalist's journey to uncover the truth behind a grisly serial killer.

    In the nonfiction tradition of John Berendt and Erik Larson, the author of the #1, NYT, bestseller, The Lost City of the Monkey God, presents a gripping account of crime and punishment in the lush ... (Barnes & Noble)

  29. Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

    by Irin Carmon
    Celebrating the life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

    New York Times Bestseller Featured in the critically acclaimed documentary, RBG, "It was beyond my wildest imagination that I would one day become the 'Notorious RBG." — Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 2019 She ... (Barnes & Noble)

  30. What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America

    by Thomas Frank
    Investigates why working-class Americans vote against their economic interests and support conservative politicians.

    With a New Afterword by the Author,The New York Times, bestseller, praised as "hilariously funny . . . the only way to understand why so many Americans have decided to vote against their own economic ... (Goodreads)