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
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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
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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
Fast Times and Mean Girls
What the great teen movies tell us about American adolescence
An Innocent Abroad in Mark Twain’s Paris
My quest for a true literary experience resulted in choucroute, a surprise organ feast, an epiphany at the Louvre, existential dread, and a rowboat.
The Writer Who Knew the Joys of Sex
Edmund White, who died yesterday at 85, infused his life with as much pleasure as he did his writing.
A Ukrainian Crime Caper That Undermines Expectations
Andrey Kurkov’s crime thrillers provide timely lessons for anyone living under an oppressive regime.
The Novelist Who Learned to Write Anger—And Its Aftermath
Susan Choi’s new book, Flashlight, considers the evolution of rage.
What You Lose When You Focus on Partnership
Melissa Febos’s new book, The Dry Season, recounts a year of celibacy and the freedom it gave her to reconnect with the world.
How to Open a Hole
A poem
When the Status Quo Doesn’t Cut It
Alternatives to the medical or economic state of affairs offer hope—and danger.
How to Look at Paul Gauguin
He was misunderstood, then adored, then vilified. Who was he really?
Five Books That Will Redirect Your Attention
When malaise strikes, a book can break the spell—if you choose the right one.