Here are 7 books that You with the Sad Eyes fans have personally recommended if you like You with the Sad Eyes. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Lessons in Chemistry

Lisa Brandt Author Of Little Voices

From my list on women overcoming personal obstacles.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been interested in what drives people, their passions, and whether or not they’ve gone after them. I love it when something inspires them to emerge from a dormant state and give it their all. Show me a person who graduates from college at 85 or skydives at 99. Those people are inspiring! People go through the most incredible situations and use them as fuel for their lives. I funneled all of this into my latest novel. It’s a universal story that’s singular only to the person going through it. We can all take something positive away from this type of story.

Lisa's book list on women overcoming personal obstacles

Lisa Brandt Why Lisa loves this book

I can probably find a way to put this novel into every book category there is – I love it that much!

Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant chemist in the 1960s, a time when society accepted that only men could be brilliant or chemists. But through a series of opportunities and her defiance in the face of attempts to marginalize her, Elizabeth becomes a de facto leader of a small but mighty group of women who change their circumstances and thereby begin to change the world. 

By Bonnie Garmus ,

Why should I read it?

97 authors picked Lessons in Chemistry as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • Meet Elizabeth Zott: a “formidable, unapologetic and inspiring” (PARADE) scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in this novel that is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel. It reminds you that change takes time and always requires heat” (The New York Times Book Review).

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, GoodReads

"A unique heroine ... you'll find yourself wishing she wasn’t fictional." —Seattle Times


If you love You with the Sad Eyes...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Book cover of Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere

Lisa Brandt Author Of Little Voices

From my list on women overcoming personal obstacles.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been interested in what drives people, their passions, and whether or not they’ve gone after them. I love it when something inspires them to emerge from a dormant state and give it their all. Show me a person who graduates from college at 85 or skydives at 99. Those people are inspiring! People go through the most incredible situations and use them as fuel for their lives. I funneled all of this into my latest novel. It’s a universal story that’s singular only to the person going through it. We can all take something positive away from this type of story.

Lisa's book list on women overcoming personal obstacles

Lisa Brandt Why Lisa loves this book

Mental illness, not thinking the way others do, seeing the world through your own lens, can be a superpower.

Just ask stand-up comedian Maria Bamford. Her quirky and unique comedy style comes to life in these pages as she navigates being “different” while cultivating an enviable career in entertainment.

She has tried everything to fit into society. She shares what works (or whether it even matters anymore) in this memoir. She’s a hoot. 

By Maria Bamford ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Sure, I'll Join Your Cult as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From "weird, scary, ingenious" (The New York Times) stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, a brutally honest and hilariously frenetic memoir about show business, mental health, and the comfort of rigid belief systems-from Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, to Suzuki violin training, to Richard Simmons, to 12-step programs.

Maria Bamford is a comedian's comedian (an outsider among outsiders) and has forever fought to find a place to belong. From struggling with an eating disorder as a child of the 1980s, to navigating a career in the arts (and medical debt and psychiatric institutionalization), she has tried just about…


Book cover of Bits and Pieces

Lisa Brandt Author Of Little Voices

From my list on women overcoming personal obstacles.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been interested in what drives people, their passions, and whether or not they’ve gone after them. I love it when something inspires them to emerge from a dormant state and give it their all. Show me a person who graduates from college at 85 or skydives at 99. Those people are inspiring! People go through the most incredible situations and use them as fuel for their lives. I funneled all of this into my latest novel. It’s a universal story that’s singular only to the person going through it. We can all take something positive away from this type of story.

Lisa's book list on women overcoming personal obstacles

Lisa Brandt Why Lisa loves this book

By any measure, Whoopi Goldberg has had an incredible career and life.

She’s an EGOT – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony winner. Rare indeed! Nothing in her upbringing would have led anyone to believe she was destined to become a huge star. That is, except for her mom’s belief in her and her raw talent.

Now, in the wake of the deaths of both her mother and her brother, Whoopi shares the family dynamic that propelled her past any dreams she might have had, despite steep odds against her in the entertainment world. 

By Whoopi Goldberg ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bits and Pieces as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller!From multi-award winner Whoopi Goldberg comes a new and unique memoir of her family and their influence on her early life.If it weren't for Emma Johnson, Caryn Johnson would have never become Whoopi Goldberg. Emma gave her children the loving care and wisdom they needed to succeed in life, always encouraging them to be true to themselves. When Whoopi lost her mother in 2010--and then her older brother, Clyde, five years later--she felt deeply alone; the only people who truly knew her were gone.Emma raised her children not just to survive, but…


If you love Christina Applegate...

Book cover of The Last Whaler

The Last Whaler by Cynthia Reeves,

This book is an elegiac meditation on the will to survive. Tor, a beluga whaler, and his wife, Astrid, a botanist specializing in Arctic flora, are stranded during the dark season of 1937-38 at his remote whaling station in the Svalbard archipelago when they misjudge ice conditions and fail to…

Book cover of Run Towards The Danger

Lisa Brandt Author Of Little Voices

From my list on women overcoming personal obstacles.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been interested in what drives people, their passions, and whether or not they’ve gone after them. I love it when something inspires them to emerge from a dormant state and give it their all. Show me a person who graduates from college at 85 or skydives at 99. Those people are inspiring! People go through the most incredible situations and use them as fuel for their lives. I funneled all of this into my latest novel. It’s a universal story that’s singular only to the person going through it. We can all take something positive away from this type of story.

Lisa's book list on women overcoming personal obstacles

Lisa Brandt Why Lisa loves this book

Sarah Polley’s success as an actor, writer, and director is well documented.

This book contains an essay about navigating her way through and past post-concussion syndrome. Although it’s not the entire point of this essay collection, in my mind, it’s the most powerful and persuasive part. It’s also where the title comes from.

Although I didn’t share her exact diagnosis, the lessons she learned from medical experts, applied to my own life, were transformative. Polley is a great writer, and the entire book is excellent. 

By Sarah Polley ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Run Towards The Danger as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

FROM OSCAR-WINNING DIRECTOR AND SCREENWRITER OF WOMEN TALKING

'Fascinating, harrowing, courageous, and deeply felt... speaks to all who have encountered dark waters and have had to navigate them' MARGARET ATWOOD

Sarah Polley's work as an actor, screenwriter and director is celebrated for its honesty, complexity and deep humanity. She brings all those qualities, along with her exquisite storytelling skills, to these six essays. Each one captures a piece of Polley's life as she remembers it, while at the same time examining the fallibility of memory and the embodied reactions of children and women adapting and surviving. The guiding…


Book cover of Inside Out: A Memoir

Kim O'Hara Author Of No Longer Denying Sexual Abuse: Making The Choices That Can Change Your Life

From my list on abuse survivors speaking candidly.

Why am I passionate about this?

Abuse as a buzzword is so broad and big. Our stories are so unique in how we were neglected, abused, abandoned, not seen, beaten, or sexually molested, but what also differs is what area of our lives it affects. For some of us, it's our bodies and food. For others of us, it's addiction to drugs and alcohol. And then there is promiscuity or sexual isolation. As a survivor myself, and having written a book that covers how denial was my go-to in my abuse history, I'm always fascinated by the human’s desire to persevere and be resilient. As a survivor, I want to be part of opening the conversation about abuse up louder.

Kim's book list on abuse survivors speaking candidly

Kim O'Hara Why Kim loves this book

When more than three women recommend a memoir, especially one that is by someone famous, I have to pick it up. Usually, I am not attracted to the lives of famous people, partly because I worked in Hollywood for so long. I saw they were just people like us, playing roles and doing their jobs. But Demi Moore’s long battle with body dysmorphia stemmed from a cruel relationship with her mother, where she was even sold for money. As she finds her fame, she is never satisfied with her body, but acutely aware she is underpaid when compared to her famous husband. So on one hand, she can’t align with a personal image of self-love and worth, but somewhere inside is a voice that knows she deserves more. 

By Demi Moore ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Inside Out as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A Daily Mail Book of the Year. A Mail on Sunday Book of the Year.

Famed American actress Demi Moore at last tells her own story in a surprisingly intimate and emotionally charged memoir.

For decades, Demi Moore has been synonymous with celebrity. From iconic film roles to high-profile relationships, Moore has never been far from the spotlight - or the headlines.

Even as Demi was becoming the highest paid actress in Hollywood, however, she was always outrunning her past, just one step ahead of the doubts and insecurities that defined…


Book cover of The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Mark E. Crawford Author Of The Obsessive Compulsive Trap: Real Help for a Real Struggle

From my list on obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a practicing clinical psychologist for over thirty years. I’ve seen many patients who have suffered from OCD – some to the point of being debilitated by their symptoms. Few things are as gratifying as helping someone overcome OCD and live a normal life. While the disorder can be confusing, once people understand what OCD is and how to treat it, they can literally change their lives for the better. This is why I went into this field to begin with, and after thirty years, I still feel privileged and grateful when I can help someone escape the prison of OCD symptoms. 

Mark's book list on obsessive-compulsive disorder

Mark E. Crawford Why Mark loves this book

The OCD Workbook is a classic in my field. It is probably the best practical workbook to help people understand the various ways that OCD can affect someone, and offers practical and effective tools for overcoming your symptoms. It is probably the resource I most frequently recommend when helping someone with OCD. 

By Bruce M. Hyman , Cherlene Pedrick ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The OCD Workbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chances are that your persistent obsessive thoughts and time-consuming compulsions keep you from enjoying life to the fullest. But when you are in the habit of avoiding the things you fear, the idea of facing them head-on can feel frightening and overwhelming. This book can help.

The OCD Workbook has helped thousands of people with OCD break the bonds of troubling OCD symptoms and regain the hope of a productive life. Endorsed and used in hospitals and clinics the world over, this valuable resource is now fully revised and updated with the latest evidence-based…


If you love You with the Sad Eyes...

Book cover of White Picket Fences

White Picket Fences by Kyle Ann Robertson,

Tina Edwards loved her childhood and creating fairy houses, a passion shared with her father, a world-renowned architect. But at nine years old, she found him dead at his desk and is haunted by this memory. Tina's mother abruptly moved away, leaving Tina with feelings of abandonment and suspicion.

Raised…

Book cover of More Than a Woman

Alexandra Addams Author Of The Self-Made Saint

From my list on menopause as a superpower for women who are happy to jump off the rollercoaster of youth.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started my motherhood journey when I was barely out of my teens. For the next two decades, I only knew myself as a wife and mother. As my brood of five children grew into adults, I found myself poorly equipped to parent independent Gen X and Z’ers. Then, at 46 years of age, when perimenopause hit me like a hurricane, I found myself evolving into another woman altogether. The good news was – I really liked her! I hope you enjoy these books about mid-life women parenting adult children and rediscovering themselves in the never-ever-done-aftermath of motherhood.

Alexandra's book list on menopause as a superpower for women who are happy to jump off the rollercoaster of youth

Alexandra Addams Why Alexandra loves this book

This book is a poignant and very funny examination of the ridiculousness endured by and perpetrated on women cruising through midlife.

I’d never read such a bald exploration of the dark side of parenting adult children. It opened my eyes and made me feel seen at the same time.

By Caitlin Moran ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked More Than a Woman as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

'Exceptionally brilliant and powerful' Marina Hyde

'This book is a hilarious memoir, a passionate polemic, and a moving manifesto on how to be a decent person and try, in the face of countless stresses, to live a full open-hearted, joyous life' Sunday Times

A decade ago, Caitlin Moran thought she had it all figured out. Her instant bestseller How to Be a Woman was a game-changing take on feminism, the patriarchy, and the general 'hoo-ha' of becoming a woman. Back then, she firmly believed 'the difficult bit' was over, and her forties were going…


Book cover of Lessons in Chemistry
Book cover of Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere
Book cover of Bits and Pieces

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