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
The Riot That Foretold an Unstable Future
In his newest book, Joe Sacco worries about what political violence might lead to.
Henry James’s Venice Is Still Here
In James’s The Aspern Papers, an American uses “duplicity” to access a palazzo. Fortunately, there are easier ways to discover the writer’s beloved Venice.
What People Don’t Understand About Black Nationalism
The long-overlooked activist Audley Moore knew that achieving radical goals sometimes required cooperation and dexterity.
Inside a Flame
A poem
Do We Really Know How Isabel Archer Felt?
Fictional people, especially those from the past, are interesting because they are both strange and familiar.
A Different Kind of Materialism
Tamar Adler’s food writing doubles as a philosophy of kitchen scraps.
The Return of MAGA’s Favorite Forbidden Book
What an apocalyptic French novel about a migrant invasion reveals about the worldview of nationalist conservatives
The Star Who Represents Iran’s Golden Age—And Its Future
Googoosh’s love songs are both banned and beloved in her homeland. Her new memoir reveals a life as rich and painful as Iran’s history.
Recall
A poem
Debate Your Favorite Books of the Year
No list can match everyone’s tastes. That’s a good thing.