
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jean-Dominique Bauby · 1997
After a stroke left Bauby paralyzed except for his left eyelid, he dictated this memoir letter by letter, by blinking. The book is 137 pages of the most weightless prose in any language, written from inside what should have been a sealed room. He died ten days after publication.
Memoir · the Pro canon
The case for it, the case against, and the rest of the canon open with Pro.