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.
Books
Introducing The Atlantic’s expanded books coverage: essays, criticism, fiction, poetry, and recommendations from our writers and editors
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 Does Lena Dunham Want to Tell Us?
Her new memoir captures the cost of being an impossibly popular target.
The Eighth Deadly Sin
Humankind has devised a new form of debasement.
What To Read
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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.
Six Books You Can Get Lost In
These novels highlight the power—both good and bad—of unchecked fantasizing.
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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
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Norman Mailer?
A new documentary offers a model for reassessing the lives of monstrous men.
Eight Books That Will Inspire You to Move Your Body
Athleticism, exercise, and sports all lend themselves to heightened narrative stakes, and writers know this well.
The Garden
A poem for Sunday
The Books That Keep Readers Awake at Night
A certain kind of novel can push you to stretch one day into the early hours of the next one.
The Cheapness of Luxury
In Yasmin Zaher’s new novel, the promise of exclusivity is a facade.
On Love
A poem for Wednesday
Seven Bedside-Table Books for When You Can’t Sleep
These titles can offer another voice in the darkness, ready to soothe a restless mind.
Cornucopia
A poem for Sunday
The Hidden Cost of Gardens
What everyday plants can teach us about history
The Liminal Life of the Expat
Ayşegül Savaş’s novel captures the experiences of a new class of people: those who are stateless by choice.