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.
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Fortunes
A short story
The Honor of the Layward Brothers
A short story
We Are Not One
A short story
Diseducators
A short story
The New History of Fighting Slavery
What we learn by tracing rebellions from Africa to the Americas
Six Books You Can Get Lost In
These novels highlight the power—both good and bad—of unchecked fantasizing.
Why Authors Can’t Let Go of Greek Myths
The fascination with these stories reflects an existential interest in what in life is inevitable, and what we can control.
January First
A poem
A Reading Resolution You Can Keep
Aim to bump older, culturally important, or much-recommended works to the top of your to-be-read list.
What Dante Is Trying to Tell Us
A colloquial translation of Paradiso might make people actually read it.
A Bizarre, Challenging Book More People Should Read
The true pleasure of literature can be found in demanding works such as Your Name Here, by Helen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff.
Five Books About Going Out That Are Worth Staying In For
If you don’t have the energy for New Year carousing, pick up these books instead.
North Road, Fall 2020
A poem
The Best Poetry for Dark Winter Days
Each collection speaks to a different seasonal mood, but all are worth slowing down with before the new year.