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.
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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
America’s Immigration Reckoning Has Arrived
A new book chronicles the forces that have led to the current impasse at the southern border.
The 19th-Century Novel That Reaffirmed My Zionism
George Eliot took up the question of Jewish self-determination in her last novel, Daniel Deronda, and arrived at a surprising answer.
There’s No Such Thing as a Meaningful Death
The protagonist in Kaveh Akbar’s new novel wants to believe in something strongly enough that he’s willing to die for it.
Beloved
A poem for Sunday
The Human Face of American Decline
Alex Kotlowitz recommends books that manage to operate at a human scale while arriving at bigger truths.
You May Be Surprised by What Scares You
Fear may be a linchpin of horror, but as a recent anthology attests, the true bedrock of the genre is mood.
The Marigold Sonnets
A poem for Wednesday
The Suburbs Have Become a Ponzi Scheme
A new book looks at how white families depleted the resources of the suburbs and left more recent Black and Latino residents “holding the bag.”
Eight Books to Take With You on a Road Trip
In these titles, the open highway sparks a reaction between a character and the unknown.
When Writing About Your Children Is a Form of Betrayal
A new novel argues that telling one’s own story is necessary and meaningful, regardless of the consequences.