Books like Handstands in the Dark by Janey Godley

A harrowing memoir of David J. Pelzer’s survival through extreme abuse by his alcoholic mother in California, detailing his struggle and hope for a better future.

Amy Poehler’s memoir‑essay collection blends humor, candid anecdotes, and poetic reflections on acting, comedy, and womanhood, offering an intimate look at her creative life.

Tina Fey’s memoir blends sharp wit with personal anecdotes, charting her rise from Pennsylvania to Saturday Night Live fame while offering candid insights into comedy, gender dynamics, and the juggling act of fame and family.

A South African smuggler, Nombeko Mayeki, escapes a secret nuclear facility and teams up with Swedish twins on a mission to overthrow the monarchy, culminating in a high-stakes attempt to kidnap the Swedish king and prime minister.

Seventeen‑year‑old Liam discovers that closing his eyes transfers him into the body of a mute servant girl living in another, increasingly perilous world.

Sylvia Fraser's memoir chronicles her journey from amnesia to the harrowing revelation of a childhood of sexual abuse by her father.

A harrowing memoir of a daughter’s struggle against a controlling father and a dysfunctional family, revealing the lasting impact of psychological and physical abuse.

Anthropologist's tape-recorded documentary in which each of five members of a slum-dwelling Mexico City family tells about their lives. Once or twice in every generation a scientific work appears which has the immediacy and force of great literature. The Children of Sanchez is such a book. It brings us in touch with the lives of its subjects in such a way that the reader is drawn into their world as if he were reading a great novel. This is an intimate account of an actual family from the slums of Mexico City. The story they tell is in their own words. The reader learns not only what it is like to grow up in a one-room home in a slum tenement in the heart of a great modern city, but, insofar as the lives in this book may be generalized, about the culture of poverty throughout the world--the culture shared by 80% of the world's people. The lives of the Sanchez family reveal a world of violence and death, of suffering and brutality, of broken homes and the cruelty of the poor to the poor. But they reveal, too, an intensity of feeling and human warmth, a sense of individuality, a capacity for joy, a hope for a better life, a desire for sympathy and love, a readiness to share the little they possess, and the courage to carry on in the face of great adversity.--From publisher description.

Anna, born to a German father and Jewish mother, dreams of becoming a ballerina, but Nazi persecution drives her into a work camp where her Christian faith keeps her hope alive to reunite with her family.

Vegas entertainer Wally Lederer, recently cleared of a past conviction, faces fresh murder accusations when his friend Jay Wilkins is killed. Attorney Barbara Holloway must untangle betrayals and hidden motives to prove Wally’s innocence.

A tale of the petticoats between sisters and the haunting secrets of the dollager family, this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat with its psychological tension and spine-tingling plot twists.