The Publishing Mystery That No One Wants to Talk About
A minimally speaking autistic man just wrote a best-selling book. Or did he?
Books
Introducing The Atlantic’s expanded books coverage: essays, criticism, fiction, poetry, and recommendations from our writers and editors
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.
The Banality of MAGA-fication
A new book by an unremarkable Republican accidentally illuminates the devolution of the party.
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
The Seinfeld Theory of Fiction
Annoying characters let us admit that we might be annoying too.
Fortunes
A short story
The Honor of the Layward Brothers
A short story
We Are Not One
A short story
Salman Rushdie Doesn’t Want to Be Your ‘Free Speech Barbie’
Speaking with George Packer at the New Orleans Book Festival, the author was eager to return to the subject of fiction.
How Not to Recommend a Book
Even for those who make a career out of loving books, sharing the right ones with the right people can take years of practice.
A Deft Portraitist of Class in America
Tayari Jones’s new novel, Kin, is a steely portrait of friendship and fate.
Fortunes
A short story
Six Books That Simply Must Be Talked About
These six books demand discussion—with a pal, a date, or a book club.
Americans Should Stop Using the Term Christian Nationalism
Religious beliefs have driven political change for centuries. The question today is which Christian values will prevail.
Misrule Music
A poem
Pushing the Limits of Historical Fiction
In a new book, Álvaro Enrigue uses absurdity to tell a fuller truth.
A Western That Goes Where Cormac McCarthy Wouldn’t
Álvaro Enrigue’s Now I Surrender scraps the simplistic binary of cowboys and Indians in favor of a wild, multifaceted war story.
Why Iranians Are Weeping for a Tyrant
Both loyalists and dissidents wept over the death of Ayatollah Khamenei. This common reaction to a tyrant’s demise is a symptom of the damage they do.