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
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Scars
A short story
Fortunes
A short story
The Honor of the Layward Brothers
A short story
We Are Not One
A short story
What Kind of Man Was Anthony Bourdain?
He was so damaged, and yet he showed us so much of the world.
Seven Books That Will Make You Smarter
These titles do more than answer questions: They explain how the world moves and what moves it.
Father of Clarity
A poem for Sunday
The Generation
A short story
Hernan Diaz on Erasing Subjectivity
“Although the scope of ‘The Generation’ may seem, literally, cosmic, it is in fact intimate and highly personal.”
How J. Edgar Hoover Went From Hero to Villain
Before his abuses of power were exposed, he was celebrated as a scourge of Nazis, Communists, and subversives.
Why Maus Was Banned
What makes the book controversial is exactly what makes it valuable.
The Science Writer Every Science Nerd Wants You to Read
A visit with David Quammen, who confronted in COVID a story that refused to stay at a safe distance
A New Theory of American Power
The United States can—and must—wield its power for good.
I Was Wrong About So Much
A poem for Sunday