Recommendations based on Understanding Comics: The Invisible Artby Scott McCloud

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

  1. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History

    by Art Spiegelman
    A graphic novel depicting the traumatic experiences of a Holocaust survivor and his son.

    The first installment of the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” (Wall Street Journal) and “the first ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Complete Maus

    by Art Spiegelman
    A graphic novel depicting a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust and his son's journey to understand the past.

    On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of its first publication, here is the definitive edition of the book acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the ... (Goodreads)

  3. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

    by Marjane Satrapi
    Autobiographical account of a young girl's experience of the Iranian Revolution.

    Note: The summary of the English editions of the novel is divided into two sections, one for each book. Persepolis 1 begins by introducing Marji, the ten-year-old protagonist. Set in 1980, the novel ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began

    by Art Spiegelman
    A graphic novel recounting a Holocaust survivor's harrowing experience and his son's attempt to reconcile with his father's past.

    Acclaimed as a quiet triumph and a brutally moving work of art, the first volume of Art Spieglman's Maus introduced readers to Vladek Spiegleman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a ... (Goodreads)

  5. Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

    by Marjane Satrapi
    A graphic novel memoir of Marjane Satrapi's return to Iran after living in Europe, exploring her struggles with identity and belonging.

    Note: The summary of the English editions of the novel is divided into two sections, one for each book. Persepolis 1 begins by introducing Marji, the ten-year-old protagonist. Set in 1980, the novel ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

    by Alison Bechdel
    An autobiographical story of a daughter's complex relationship with her father and her own journey of self-discovery.

    The narrative of Fun Home is non-linear and recursive. , Incidents are told and re-told in the light of new information or themes. , Bechdel describes the structure of Fun Home as a labyrinth , ... (Wikipedia)

  7. The Complete Persepolis

    by Marjane Satrapi
    Autobiographical tale of a girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

    Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed graphic memoir. Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving ... (Goodreads)

  8. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

    by Steve Krug
    A guide to creating intuitive, user-friendly websites.

    Since Don’t Make Me Think was first published in 2000, over 400,000 Web designers and developers have relied on Steve Krug’s guide to help them understand the principles of intuitive navigation and ... (Goodreads)

  9. Ways of Seeing

    by John Berger
    A critical analysis of visual culture and how it shapes our perception of the world. It challenges traditional ways of seeing and encourages a new perspective.

    John Berger’s Classic Text on Art John Berger's Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and the most influential books on art in any language. First published in 1972, it was based on the BBC ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Autobiography of Malcolm X

    by Malcolm X
    A gripping account of one man's transformation from criminal to civil rights leader.

    Alternate cover for ISBN 9780345350688 Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his ... (Goodreads)

  11. The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

    by Betty Edwards
    Exploring creativity through the science of art, unlocking the power of the right side of the brain.

    When Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was first published in 1979, it hit the New York Times bestseller list within two weeks and stayed there for more than a year. In 1989, when Dr. Betty ... (Goodreads)

  12. Epileptic

    by David B.
    Graphic novel exploring a family's struggle with a son's epilepsy.

    The book tells the story of the artist's early childhood and adolescence, focusing on his relationship with his brother and sister. His brother develops severe and intractable epilepsy , causing the ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Wall and Piece

    by Banksy
    An introduction to the subversive street art of Banksy, with visual commentary on modern life.

    Banksy, Britain's now-legendary "guerilla" street artist, has painted the walls, streets, and bridges of towns and cities throughout the world. Not only did he smuggle his pieces into four of New ... (Goodreads)

  14. Tao Te Ching

    by Lao Tzu
    A collection of wise sayings and reflections on the nature of existence.

    A lucid translation of the well-known Taoist classic by a leading scholar-now in a Shambhala Pocket Library edition. Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Teh Ching , or -The Classic of ... (Goodreads)

  15. Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

    by Douglas R. Hofstadter
    A complex exploration of logic, mathematics and art, exploring their relationships and interconnections.

    Douglas Hofstadter's book is concerned directly with the nature of “maps” or links between formal systems. However, according to Hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Story of Art

    by E.H. Gombrich
    Comprehensive overview of art history, from prehistoric to modern times.

    The Story of Art, one of the most famous and popular books on art ever written, has been a world bestseller for over four decades. Attracted by the simplicity and clarity of his writing, readers of ... (Goodreads)

  17. Palestine

    by Joe Sacco
    A graphic novel that recounts the experiences of Palestinians living under military occupation.

    The book takes place over a two-month period in late 1991 / early 1992, with occasional flashbacks to the expulsion of the Arabs, the beginning of the Intifada , the Gulf War and other events in the ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays

    by David Foster Wallace
    Collection of essays exploring the human experience in a humorous, thoughtful and often absurd way.

    Do lobsters feel pain? Did Franz Kafka have a funny bone? What is John Updike's deal, anyway? And what happens when adult video starlets meet their fans in person? David Foster Wallace answers these ... (Goodreads)

  19. The Republic

    by Plato
    A philosophical discourse on justice, examining morality, politics, and virtue.

    Presented in the form of a dialogue between Socrates and three different interlocutors, this classic text is an enquiry into the notion of a perfect community and the ideal individual within it. ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Power of Myth

    by Joseph Campbell
    A conversation between Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers on the role of mythology in human life, exploring universal themes and archetypes.

    The Power Of Myth launched an extraordinary resurgence of interest in Joseph Campbell and his work. A preeminent scholar, writer, and teacher, he has had a profound influence on millions of people. ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Art of War

    by Sun Tzu
    Ancient Chinese military treatise outlining strategies for success in battle.

    Twenty-Five Hundred years ago, Sun Tzu wrote this classic book of military strategy based on Chinese warfare and military thought. Since that time, all levels of military have used the teaching on ... (Goodreads)

  22. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

    by Stephen King
    A series of personal reflections on the art of writing, and the power of story-telling.

    "Long live the King" hailed Entertainment Weekly upon the publication of Stephen King's On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood

    by James Gleick
    A comprehensive history of the development of information technology, from ancient times to the digital age.

    James Gleick, the author of the best sellers Chaos and Genius , now brings us a work just as astonishing and masterly: a revelatory chronicle and meditation that shows how information has become the ... (Goodreads)

  24. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

    by Jared Diamond
    Tracing the origins of human civilizations through the lens of geography, technology, and biology.

    "Diamond has written a book of remarkable scope ... one of the most important and readable works on the human past published in recent years." Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a national bestseller: ... (Goodreads)

  25. Stitches

    by David Small
    A graphic memoir of a boy's struggle with illness, family secrets, and his own voice.

    One day David Small awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that he had been transformed into a virtual mute. A vocal cord removed, his throat slashed and stitched together like a ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures

    by Anne Fadiman
    Exploring the cultural divide between the Hmong people and the medical establishment.

    Lia Lee was born in 1982 to a family of recent Hmong immigrants, and soon developed symptoms of epilepsy. By 1988 she was living at home but was brain dead after a tragic cycle of misunderstanding, ... (Goodreads)

  27. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

    by William McDonough
    A revolutionary approach to design, advocating for products that can be reused or recycled indefinitely, creating a sustainable and regenerative economy.

    "Reduce, reuse, recycle," urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. But as architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart point out in this ... (Goodreads)

  28. Illuminations: Essays and Reflections

    by Walter Benjamin
    Collection of philosophical and literary essays on a range of topics.

    Essays and reflections from one of the twentieth century’s most original cultural critics, with an introduction by Hannah Arendt . Walter Benjamin was an icon of criticism, renowned for his insight ... (Barnes & Noble)

  29. Rework

    by Jason Fried
    A guide to starting and running a successful business with unconventional advice and practical tips.

    Most business books give you the same old advice: Write a business plan, study the competition, seek investors, yadda yadda. If you're looking for a book like that, put this one back on the shelf. ... (Goodreads)

  30. A Brief History of Time

    by Stephen Hawking
    Exploring the depths of time and space and the emergence of the universe.

    In the ten years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking's classic work has become a landmark volume in scientific writing, with more than nine million copies in forty languages sold ... (Goodreads)