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.
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
Scars
A short story
Fortunes
A short story
The Honor of the Layward Brothers
A short story
We Are Not One
A short story
The Feminine Pursuit of Swoleness
Casey Johnston’s new book, A Physical Education, considers how weight lifting can help you unlearn diet culture.
The Making of Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle
How the novelist turned the violence and randomness of war into a cosmic joke
The Mainstreaming of Literary Kink
A noirish novel set in the world of strip clubs and BDSM dungeons ventures beyond titillation and into the daily grind.
It Has Pockets!
How Claire McCardell changed women’s fashion
A New History of the Western Hemisphere
A recent book suggests that Latin American democracy may hold lessons for the current U.S. political moment
What Are Emoji?
Unpacking the 🍑, the ️🤡, and the 👍
For Now
A poem
Toni Morrison’s Definition of a Legacy
As a writer and an editor, she put humanity plainly on the page, where it would outlast her and her critics alike.
The Cure for Guilty Memories
A fantastical new novel from Karen Russell turns the whispered secrets of a Dust Bowl town into a bold metaphor for repressed history.
Fools for Love
A short story