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
Why Guillermo del Toro Made Frankenstein
The director writes about feeling destined to adapt Mary Shelley’s classic.
Philip Pullman’s Anti-Escapist Fantasy
In his fiction, the author of The Golden Compass tells us how to love this world. It isn’t easy.
A Novel That Understands Where Romance Is Going
Claire-Louise Bennett’s new novel trades romantic fatalism for something odder and pricklier.
The Great Ghosting Paradox
Is there a social phenomenon that’s as infuriating—and as commonplace?
The Risk of Financial—And Moral—Collapse
A new history of the circumstances that led to the Great Depression sheds light on the systemic dangers we face today.
Why So Many People Are Seduced by ChatGPT
What makes OpenAI’s chatbot so dangerous? It’s a fictional character without an author.
65 Essential Children’s Books
Illustrated titles that teach kids to love literature
A Warning for the Modern Striver
A new biography of Peter Matthiessen chronicles his many paradoxical attempts to escape who the world expected him to be.
Eight Romance Novels for Romance Skeptics
The genre is so diverse that with a little open-mindedness, everyone really can find their perfect match.