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
I Remember
A poem
A New Concept for Fighting Climate Change
A growing number of climate activists are taking up a fresh idea as a rallying cry and a legal strategy: Nature, in all its manifestations, is alive.
The Funniest Part of Alison Bechdel’s Work
The author is willing to let her main character be both her double and the butt of her joke.
The World That ‘Wages for Housework’ Wanted
The 1970s campaign fought to get women paid for their work in the home—and envisioned a society built to better support motherhood.
An Awkward Truth About American Work
Direct-selling schemes are considered fringe businesses, but their values have bled into the national economy.
America’s Johnson & Johnson Problem
A new book reveals how Big Pharma’s brazen behavior fueled medical mistrust.
What Is Alison Bechdel’s Secret?
The cartoonist has spent a lifetime worrying. In a new graphic novel, she finds something like solace.
Shutting Down Salman Rushdie Is Not Going to Help
Two recent flare-ups over commencement speeches show how difficult—and necessary—truly defending free expression is.
Return of the Shaman
How visionary healers became a fixture of contemporary American culture and politics