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.
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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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 ‘the End’ Helps Us Find New Beginnings
Contemplating death at the start of a new year
Five Books That Offer Readers Intellectual Exercise
Each of these titles exercises a different kind of reading muscle so that you can choose the one that will push you most.
Birthmark
A poem for Wednesday
Apocalypse, Constantly
Humans love to imagine their own demise.
Bridge of the Gods
A poem for Sunday
Six Books to Read by the Fire
Each of these titles is a perfect companion while the days grow imperceptibly longer.
Two Different Ways of Understanding Fatherhood
Recent entries into the literature of parenting offer disparate visions of dadhood as part of a man’s private, or public, life.
The Custodian
A poem published in The Atlantic in 2011
The Art Monster Under the Bed
Ella Baxter’s new novel reminds us that mediocrity is far more common than genius.
A Biting Satire of the Art World’s Monstrousness
Ella Baxter’s new novel explores why creative genius so often seems to be at odds with being a good person.