Is Cohabitation the Feminist Future?
Stories about women living together are proliferating—and offering alternative visions to the nuclear family.
Books
Introducing The Atlantic’s expanded books coverage: essays, criticism, fiction, poetry, and recommendations from our writers and editors
Peter Hujar’s Photos Are All the Rage. He’d Be Shocked.
A new biography brings the late photographer’s relationship with the artist Paul Thek to vivid life.
If You Want a Better World, Act Like You Live in It
We’ve had Henry David Thoreau the environmentalist, the libertarian, the life coach. To understand his influence, think of him first as a dissident.
The Publishing Mystery That No One Wants to Talk About
A minimally speaking autistic man just wrote a best-selling book. Or did he?
The Paradox of Modern Medicine
Testing has become so advanced that doctors now miss important elements of diagnosis.
What To Read
See All
Eight of the Most Fascinating Biographies to Read
Each is animated by the author’s love—for their subject, for language, and for pushing the boundaries of what the genre can do.
Six Books That Simply Must Be Talked About
These six books demand discussion—with a pal, a date, or a book club.
Nine Books to Reset Your View of the World
Each of these titles will widen your perspective, offering you original insight and vision.
Seven Books to Read When You Have No Time to Read
These titles are worth picking up, even if you have only a moment to spare.
Newsletter
The Books Briefing
Our culture editors’ weekly guide to the best in books.
Subject to The Atlantic's Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions
Fiction
See All
Scars
A short story
Fortunes
A short story
The Honor of the Layward Brothers
A short story
We Are Not One
A short story
America’s Mediocre Hero
In his newest book, Michael Cohen seems to be no longer a witness to history, but rather a man fractured by history.
Why Did Gay Rights Take So Long?
A quiet movement that began in the 1920s didn’t disappear—it just went underground.
The Grimke Sisters and the Indelible Stain of Slavery
The abolitionists have long been portrayed as heroes. A new book views them, and their family, in a different light.
What’s the Difference Between a Bond Villain and a Billionaire?
In Percival Everett’s Dr. No, a fiendish revenge plot doubles as a deeply American endeavor.
Ideal Landscape
Published in The Atlantic in 1953
Science Fiction Got Surveillance All Wrong
Government scrutiny isn’t how it appears in 1984. To understand privacy, we’ll need to update our analogies.
What’s the One Book That Explains American Politics Today?
The Atlantic’s writers have chosen books to help you understand the stakes of the midterms.
America Has Had It Worse
In his new book, Adam Hochschild remembers a time when a crusade for democracy abroad released a demonic spirit of intolerance and violence at home.
Vigil
A poem for Wednesday
Seven Books That Understand Your Grief
Reading alone can’t take away the pain, but prose can be part of one’s internal healing.