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
Literature’s Enduring Obsession With Strange Sisters
In Xenobe Purvis’s novel, a brood of odd siblings illuminates the fears of their fellow villagers.
Reading Mrs. Dalloway Again and Again
A century after its publication, the book rewards revisiting at various stages of life.
Six Books to Read Before You Get to the Airport
The fact that we regularly float six or seven miles above the Earth is worth our fascination and attention.
The Tech Novel’s Warning for a Screen-Addled Age
Elaine Castillo’s second book captures how profoundly technology can alienate people from their emotions.
The Islamic Republic Was Never Inevitable
With Iran’s theocracy under strain, a new history shows that its rise was mainly a stroke of bad luck.
Mrs. Dalloway’s Midlife Crisis
Virginia Woolf’s wild run of creativity in her 40s included writing her masterpiece on the terrors and triumphs of middle age.
Faith
A poem
Turning a Hobby Into a Habit
A casual pastime, when practiced consistently, can change a life.
Eight Books for Dabblers
Casual pursuits can enrich our lives, regardless of whether we’re any good at them.
Memoir of a Mailman
A new book describes the challenges and joys of life as a letter carrier.