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
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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
Stop Doomscrolling About Israel and Palestine—Read These Books Instead
The Atlantic’s books editor prescribes these titles as antidotes to the quick and dirty ways people are communicating on social media.
‘The Whole Country Has PTSD’
A conversation with the Israeli short-story writer Etgar Keret about grieving, and whether writing can ease the pain
A Book That Changed How I Think
Our writers and editors share one title that granted them a fresh perspective.
Britney Finally Tells Her Story. It’s Dark.
With her new memoir, the pop star tries to close a long and maddening chapter of her life. Will we finally let her?
Will the Expelled People of Chagos Finally Find Justice?
A new book from Philippe Sands, The Last Colony, tells the story of the Chagossians, an island people who were expelled from their homes by the British and Americans.
When America Helped Assassinate an African Leader
The murder of Patrice Lumumba, independent Congo’s first prime minister and the subject of a new book, had lasting psychological effects on the whole continent.
The Mowing That Woke My Daughter
A poem for Sunday
This Week in Books: Louise Glück Wrote With Authority
The poet loved using myth, history, and legend in her verse.
Beware the Language That Erases Reality
An open letter signed by famous writers decrying Israel’s response to the Hamas attack shows a startling moral obtuseness.
Nine Books That Push Against the Status Quo
These titles demand a clear-eyed look at things people too often take for granted.