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.
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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
Is Kara Swisher Tearing Down Tech Billionaires—Or Burnishing Their Legends?
She has long sought to be the best-connected of the tough reporters and the toughest of the insiders. Balancing those goals isn’t always easy.
The Last, Improbable Refuge for the World’s Endangered Languages
Deep linguistic diversity is among the least explored but possibly most consequential factors in New York City's history and makeup.
[36. Violence: Patri-confessional]
A poem for Sunday
The Strangest Job in the World
Edith Wilson may have been closer to running the country than being a kindly helpmate.
The Most Consequential Recent First Lady
Which president’s wife abandoned the script entirely?
Seven Great Graphic Novels That Go Beyond Words
These titles demonstrate how text and image can blend together to convey one voice.
Preface
Published in The Atlantic in 1944
Shadow Study
A poem for Sunday
When Ian Fleming Got Sick of James Bond
Does it matter if writers turn their back on their work?
How to Spend Your Time ‘Poorly’
A new novel puts Henry David Thoreau at its center and reveals what he was really searching for when he went off to live alone.