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.
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
Can the Right Drugs Fix Your Life?
A writer overwhelmed by a world gone mad takes a headlong dive into drugs and dancing. Results are mixed.
The Anti–Rock Star
Leonard Cohen’s battle against shameless male egoism
Shake the Earth
A poem for Sunday
The Irresistible Pull of an Alternate Universe
It lets us explore the allure of living a totally new life.
Entitlement Is Not an Identity. It’s a Trap.
In Rumaan Alam’s latest novel, a Black woman’s quest for status runs up against her blind spots.
How the War on Terror Warped the American Left
A new book on how 9/11 altered the national psyche also demonstrates how it stunted progressive politics.
A Book That Puts the Life Back Into Biography
To capture the spirit of the poet Audre Lorde, Alexis Pauline Gumbs decided to break all the rules.
Likeness
A poem for Sunday
The Feeling That’s Hardest to Communicate
Pain can stump even gifted writers, but a few have managed to describe the experience exquisitely.
Yuval Noah Harari’s Apocalyptic Vision
His warning of AI’s dangers is alarming, but does it help us avoid them?