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
Two Genres That Aren’t So Different After All
Reconsidering the plot-versus-not debate
Eight Plot-Heavy Books That Will Keep You Turning Pages
Some readers enjoy plotless, heady fiction. Those who don’t should try these titles.
A Generational Portrait That Actually Says Something New
Anika Jade Levy’s debut novel captures what it feels like to try to become an artist right now.
A Great Author’s Ongoing Struggle
Vladimir Nabokov’s leap away from Russian, his native language, was not an instantaneous, effortless transformation.
The Accidental Trailblazers of a New Global Condition
A new book about Chernobyl’s child victims shows the human cost of seeking technological dominance.
What a Cranky New Book About Progress Gets Right
Paul Kingsnorth argues that much of today’s culture is intent on eroding what it means to be human.
The Costs of Instant Translation
AI might soon rob us of the thrill and challenge of cross-cultural conversation.
When Scarcity Blurs the Line Between Right and Wrong
Megha Majumdar’s second novel imagines how climate disaster might scramble our sense of morality.