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Personal Essay Books

Showing 1-50 of 628
Me Talk Pretty One Day Me Talk Pretty One Day (Paperback)
by (shelved 9 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.01 — 730,175 ratings — published 2000
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The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present (Paperback)
by (shelved 8 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.21 — 2,397 ratings — published 1994
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The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet (Hardcover)
by (shelved 5 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.34 — 194,014 ratings — published 2021
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A Field Guide to Getting Lost A Field Guide to Getting Lost (Paperback)
by (shelved 5 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.90 — 21,784 ratings — published 2005
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The White Album The White Album (Paperback)
by (shelved 5 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.01 — 53,801 ratings — published 1979
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Slouching Towards Bethlehem Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Paperback)
by (shelved 5 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.18 — 88,692 ratings — published 1968
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So Sad Today: Personal Essays So Sad Today: Personal Essays (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.80 — 17,982 ratings — published 2016
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I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman (Hardcover)
by (shelved 4 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.74 — 93,596 ratings — published 2006
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A Room of One’s Own A Room of One’s Own (Paperback)
by (shelved 4 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.22 — 280,854 ratings — published 1929
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Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.14 — 146,009 ratings — published 2012
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Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.48 — 846,590 ratings — published 2016
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We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.89 — 48,570 ratings — published 2017
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Calypso Calypso (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.10 — 151,480 ratings — published 2018
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The Faraway Nearby The Faraway Nearby (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.21 — 7,852 ratings — published 2013
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Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls: Essays, Etc. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls: Essays, Etc. (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.86 — 153,264 ratings — published 2013
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Man's Search for Meaning Man's Search for Meaning (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.37 — 936,981 ratings — published 1946
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When You Are Engulfed in Flames When You Are Engulfed in Flames (Hardcover)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.08 — 219,810 ratings — published 2008
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A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.69 — 185,022 ratings — published 2000
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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.12 — 292,719 ratings — published 2004
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Naked Naked (Paperback)
by (shelved 3 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.10 — 276,173 ratings — published 1997
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A Life Beyond Boundaries A Life Beyond Boundaries (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.30 — 725 ratings — published 2009
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A Collection of Essays A Collection of Essays (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.29 — 8,264 ratings — published 1941
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Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.98 — 4,142 ratings — published 2023
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Like Love: Essays and Conversations Like Love: Essays and Conversations (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.72 — 654 ratings — published 2024
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Between the World and Me Between the World and Me (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.40 — 376,071 ratings — published 2015
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Men Explain Things to Me Men Explain Things to Me (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.82 — 90,452 ratings — published 2014
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Letter to My Daughter Letter to My Daughter (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.09 — 36,099 ratings — published 1987
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Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.58 — 13,009 ratings — published 2023
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On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (Mass Market Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.34 — 327,642 ratings — published 2000
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People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.62 — 13,824 ratings — published 2014
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Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Yuletide Yahoos, Ho-Ho-Humblebraggers, and Other Seasonal Scourges Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Yuletide Yahoos, Ho-Ho-Humblebraggers, and Other Seasonal Scourges (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.65 — 2,698 ratings — published 2012
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This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.46 — 40,537 ratings — published 2009
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They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us: Essays They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us: Essays (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.54 — 19,903 ratings — published 2017
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Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.19 — 14,608 ratings — published 2007
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Bluets Bluets (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.03 — 61,364 ratings — published 2009
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Nothing Like I Imagined [Except For Sometimes] Nothing Like I Imagined [Except For Sometimes] (Kindle Edition)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.08 — 8,050 ratings — published 2020
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Wow, No Thank You.: Essays Wow, No Thank You.: Essays (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.81 — 48,054 ratings — published 2020
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A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again:  Essays and Arguments A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.12 — 56,701 ratings — published 1997
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No Name in the Street (Vintage International) No Name in the Street (Vintage International)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.47 — 5,161 ratings — published 1972
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Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.19 — 11,016 ratings — published 1991
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Meaty Meaty (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.88 — 17,351 ratings — published 2013
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The Year of Magical Thinking The Year of Magical Thinking (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.93 — 321,855 ratings — published 2005
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Gratitude Gratitude (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.17 — 25,280 ratings — published 2015
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Wanderlust: A History of Walking Wanderlust: A History of Walking (Paperback)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.89 — 6,626 ratings — published 2014
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Upstream: Selected Essays Upstream: Selected Essays (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.16 — 27,244 ratings — published 2016
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The Argonauts The Argonauts (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.01 — 58,369 ratings — published 2015
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One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 3.72 — 13,997 ratings — published 2017
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Things I Don't Want to Know Things I Don't Want to Know (Hardcover)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.06 — 22,655 ratings — published 2014
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Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture (ebook)
by (shelved 2 times as personal-essay)
avg rating 4.43 — 23,244 ratings — published 2018
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“Writing my fleshy story consisted of examining the butchered offal of my carnivorous character. Flayed like the catch of the day, I scrutinized the ramified offscourings of my worm-ridden soul, a parasitic host to tumors of self-doubt and lesions of personal insecurities.”
Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

“All writers are demonic dreamers. Writing is an act of sharing experiences and offering of an individualistic perspective of our private attitudes pertaining to whatever topics of thought intrigues the author. Writing is a twitchy art, which attempts to employ linguist building blocks handed-down from past generations. Writers’ word choices form a structure of conjoined sentences when overlaid with the lingua of modern culture. Writers attempt to emulate in concrete form the synesthesia of our personal pottage steeped in our most vivid feelings. Writing a personal essay calls for us to sort out a jungle of lucid observations and express in a tangible technique our unique interpretation of coherent observations interlaced with that effusive cascade of yearning, the universal spice of unfilled desire, which turmoil of existential angst swamps us.”
Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

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