Books like The Chaos of Longing — picked by fans

I love this book for many reasons, but to start, I love that the title is a poetic metaphor, I love that the story is almost a hundred years old but still speaks to the rebellious spirit alive within young readers, and I love that the book is loosely based on Zora’s real life and the real place of Eatonville, Florida.

I love that readers get to experience the past and can envision their own future while reading this book. I laughed, cried, and found pieces of myself within the quotes snitched to this story. 

I was actually introduced to this title due to its 2010 film adaptation by Tyler Perry of the same title. I was captivated by the different points of view, characters, and lives that unfolded on the screen, so much so that I sought out a physical copy of the publication it was based on.

I loved this book because it taught me strength—told and shown from the points of view of multiple women in different challenging circumstances. I loved that there was an exploration of love, lust, happiness, tragedy, and ultimately becoming and accepting the version of woman that you are.

This publication was actually very instrumental and inspirational in my own journey of writing and publishing. This story inspired me to tell my own, out loud and unapologetically. 

I first fell in love with Alex Grey’s art before I found his book that described his career and experiences that solidified the themes he has chosen to explore throughout his craft.

The Mission of Art was an incredible read that took me on a journey of art appreciation, self-discovery, and the concept of creativity. My favorite part of the book includes the illustrations and backstory behind their conception.

I appreciate that Alex reminded me and other readers that all art deserves to exist as evidence of humanity & culture and should not be limited to what is “good” or “bad,” but it should all be accepted for what it is. (Cause it says a lot about who we are as people and the current time we live in) 

As an independent author and creative, at times I lose sight of my personal “why” and motivation for creation.

I love Black Women Writers at Work by Claudia Tate, because it served as a reminder of the importance of diversity, the range writers can have, and the longevity creative output can maintain with the support of their audience. I appreciated that Claudia asked each author specific questions related to their work and not just generic questions related to the topic and technique of writing.

This book was not only entertaining for me, but extremely informative. I loved it so much that I started with the audiobook and was gifted a physical copy! 

A beautiful book about preserving traditions. This book follows a girl who anticipates a beloved holiday but worries about not being able to celebrate it in her new home. Where will she find grass for the camels in the midst of the Midwest snow?

This book helped our family discuss the different traditions we celebrate and answer some of my children’s questions: Can the three kings visit us in the US? And will Santa find his way to us if we move? I appreciate how the book introduces Three Kings Day and serves as a reminder that we carry our heritage and traditions wherever life takes us.

This book by Steven Blank is a bible for anyone trying to understand how to build lean startups. The classic mistake that most entrepreneurs make is to go build a product soon after they develop a hypothesis about what customers want. By building products before customer discovery (i.e. verify customer needs and a scalable sales model), many products miss the mark and fail. The book explains how a lean start-up can figure out what customers want before proceeding to build products. This emphasis on a customer-centered approach rather than a product-centered approach can be the difference when it comes to finding product-market fit. A must-read for any founder!

If you need inspiration to write strange stories, then read the Brazilian Machado de Assis. In his photos he looks like a prim and proper gentleman, giving no hint he wrote some of the whackiest fiction you’ll ever encounter—for example, one story is told from the perspective of a needle. The Alienist is a favorite. Bacamarte, a man devoted to science, opens an insane asylum in the town of Itaguaí, taking in the mentally ill. But his scientific mind leads him to the inevitable conclusion that he must also include healthy people who, according to his diagnosis, are about to go crazy. Soon, his asylum, Casa Verdi, accommodates the entire town. Then, in the ending of the story… Well, you’ll have to read it yourself to find out. 

Robert Kolker's book tells the unforgettable story of the Galvin’s, a Colorado family with twelve children—six of whom were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Through meticulous reporting and sensitive interviews with two of the daughters, Kolker weaves together the family's history with the evolving science of schizophrenia research.

The book reveals the heartbreaking toll mental illness takes on individuals and families while offering hope through scientific advancements. It is both a family saga and a medical mystery, painting a profound portrait of violence, love, loss, and resilience in the face of unimaginable challenges. Kolker’s book underlined that mental illness is a combination of genetic heritability and environment.

Karr's memoir diverges from my other recommendations insofar as it’s a memoir and features just one woman’s voice.

I found this book while living in Madrid over a decade ago and remember sneaking out into the living room late at night to read it. Karr is a master storyteller and a master memoirist – highly relatable even if you’ve never struggled with alcoholism. 

The 1840 burial of Napoleon’s remains in the Invalides coincided with the psychiatric admission of fourteen men who claimed they were the real Napoleon, and he lived on yet. A number of Napoleons—or those claiming to be Napoleon’s son—had also emerged during the emperor’s own lifetime, suffering from the recently identified “delusions of grandeur” diagnosis.

Murat offers a larger study of madness and asylums in nineteenth-century France, and the impact of political events, including the French Revolution and the Terror, on psychiatric patients and doctors. Her chapter on “madhouse Napoleons” is particularly intriguing, as it reveals how the ghosts of powerful historical leaders can infiltrate the minds of the disturbed. For me, the book also raises questions about memory and psychology more generally, about why the mad latched onto Napoleon specifically, and how history or historical figures can live on in surprising places.