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
Seven Books That Earn Your Tears
Getting a cheap rise out of readers is easy. Faithfully representing life on the page takes more skill.
A Vision of Russia as a Country That Runs on Violence
A 1929 Soviet novel shows how dangerous ideas can destroy a society.
Lula Bell
A poem for Sunday
Against Counting the Books You Read
The number of titles you finish in a year says little about your actual reading habits.
The Multiplying ‘Philip Roths’
Has the celebrated author become better known for his persona than for what he wrote?
What to Read If You Want to Reinvent Yourself
Whether you’re starting over or discovering a new identity, these works can help reset your perspective.
Reasons to Live
A poem for Sunday
Midwinter
A poem for Wednesday
Condolence
A poem for Tuesday
Valentine
A poem for Monday