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
What the Author of Frankenstein Knew About Human Nature
An 1826 novel encourages people to practice humility in the face of nature’s awesome forces.
Would Limitlessness Make Us Better Writers?
AI embodies hypotheticals I can only imagine for myself. But I believe human impediments are what lead us to create meaningful art.
My Book Had Come Undone
A poem for Wednesday
The Particular Cruelty of Colonial Wars
A new history of Indonesia’s fight for independence reveals the brutal means by which the Dutch tried to retain power.
Hinge
A poem for Sunday
The Hidden Wisdom of Cookbooks
The author Ruby Tandoh argues for the freedom to cook—and eat—for pleasure.
Eight Cookbooks Worth Reading Cover to Cover
Flag dishes you want to make, or don’t: The point of this practice is pleasure, not pragmatism.
The Illogical Relationship Americans Have With Animals
A new book explores the roots of our love for certain creatures—and our indifference toward many others.
The New Empress of Self-Help Is a TikTok Star
Keila Shaheen outsold Oprah Winfrey with a journaling book marketed through TikTok. Now what?
Salman Rushdie Strikes Back
In a new memoir, the author reckons with the attack that nearly took his life.