Books like Detour by Lizzie Simon

A young Andalusian shepherd named Santiago embarks on a journey across the desert to find a hidden treasure, learning profound lessons about listening to his heart and recognizing the omens that guide his path.

Bill Bryson humorously chronicles a two–person hike along the Appalachian Trail, mixing lively anecdotes with insightful looks at its history, ecology, and the people who live along the route.

Lucy Grealy recounts twenty years of living with a disfigured jaw and over thirty reconstructive surgeries, exploring how society’s obsession with beauty shapes self‑image and the ultimate discovery that true worth lies within.

Thirteen‑year‑old Sophie sails across the Atlantic in the family‑run schooner The Wanderer, discovering adventure, family secrets, and what it means to belong.

Terese Marie Mailhot's memoir follows her journey from a turbulent upbringing on Seabird Island to healing through writing, confronting PTSD and bipolar II while honoring her mother and reconciling with her father.

Simon, a young Polish Jew, is uprooted by the Nazis from his Warsaw home into a cramped ghetto, where his family is seized. Alone, he flees to the countryside and struggles to survive amid the horrors of the Holocaust.

Terri Cheney offers a candid personal narrative about women living with bipolar disorder in the United States.

From Kay Redfield Jamison - an international authority on manic-depressive illness, and one of the few women who are full professors of medicine at American universities - a remarkable personal testimony: the revelation of her own struggle since adolescence with manic-depression, and how it has shaped her life. Vividly, directly, with candor, wit, and simplicity, she takes us into the fascinating and dangerous territory of this form of madness - a world in which one pole can be the alluring dark land ruled by what Byron called the "melancholy star of the imagination," and the other a desert of depression and, all too frequently, death. A moving and exhilarating memoir by a woman whose furious determination to learn the enemy, to use her gifts of intellect to make a difference, led her to become, by the time she was forty, a world authority on manic-depression, and whose work has helped save countless lives.

At 25, television producer Richard M. Cohen is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and later faces colon cancer, yet he writes a hopeful memoir about resilience, family, and living fully amid chronic illness.

Lucy and her younger brother confront their fear of a mentally handicapped boy who follows them home on a snowy day, exploring feelings about innocence and courage.

Broken Open offers a guide for transforming crisis, loss, and everyday stress into personal growth, blending personal stories, spiritual practices, and psychological insight to help readers emerge more joyful and vibrant.

Elissa Washuta confronts bipolar disorder, sexual trauma, and her American Indian identity in a candid memoir that explores the clash between psychiatric medication, cultural heritage, and the pressures of adult life.