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
An Institution That’s Been Broken for 200 Years
Two new books argue that America urgently needs to reimagine its child-welfare system.
The Spiritual Emptiness of Achievement
Adam Gopnik extols the virtues of mastery over ephemeral accomplishments as he learns how to make bread, box, dance, and drive.
It’s Okay to Like Good Art by Bad People
Art transcends the artist.
A Biting Satire About the Idealistic Left
Eleanor Catton’s new novel, Birnam Wood, pokes at the pieties of those who want to change the world.
The Pornography Paradox
Reformers fear that ever more outré sites are warping users’ desires. But transgression has always been part of the appeal.
Sailing to Italy
Published in The Atlantic in 1963
When the Human and the Artificial Collide
Our fears about technology reflect what we value about personhood: Your weekly guide to the best in books
‘Notice All That Disappears’
Jorie Graham is a poet facing down the end of the world.
Can Humanism Save Us?
In her new book, Sarah Bakewell champions an intellectual tradition that might be just what we need today—if only we could properly define it.
When the Royals Showed Their Human Side
During the Blitz, George VI and Elizabeth abandoned protocol in favor of solidarity—and helped Britain get through Hitler’s onslaught.