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
Life List
A poem for Sunday
A Better Way of Buying—And Wanting—Things
A new book argues that we should honor our material desires rather than feeling ashamed of them.
How to Write About a Changing World
As the new ecological status quo emerges, we’ll all need to rethink our place on the planet: Your weekly guide to the best in books
Who Was Cleopatra’s Daughter?
The perils of searching for feminist heroes in antiquity
A Force That Has Shaped the History of the World
In his sweeping new book, Peter Frankopan looks at how the climate has changed human society—and how we have changed the climate.
Surrender to Steely Dan
How the insufferably perfectionist duo captured the hearts of a new generation of listeners
What Authors Know About the Power of Words
Our means of communication are changing rapidly: Your weekly guide to the best in books
Why Our Children Should Be More Demanding, Not Less
A new book argues that children are disenfranchised citizens whose basic needs are being ignored.
A Novel in Which Language Hits Its Limit—And Keeps On Going
In Han Kang’s Greek Lessons, words are both insufficient and too powerful to tame.
A Rom-Com That Seduces the Old-Fashioned Way
Curtis Sittenfeld’s new novel masterfully dissects a well-worn genre.