The Banality of MAGA-fication
A new book by an unremarkable Republican accidentally illuminates the devolution of the party.
Books
Introducing The Atlantic’s expanded books coverage: essays, criticism, fiction, poetry, and recommendations from our writers and editors
A Writer of ‘Hypnotic Repetition’
With her first new novel in more than 20 years, Nancy Lemann returns, yet again, to New Orleans and its eccentricities.
The Literary Job AI Can’t Replace
Ghostwriting is good, actually—when it’s done by humans.
Who Is Black Comedy For?
A new book is nostalgic for the ’90s. But the era of crossover success was not necessarily the pinnacle of Black comedic achievement.
The Feeling of Becoming Less and Less of a Person
In Ben Lerner’s new novel, technology divides us further from one another, and ourselves.
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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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
The Feeling of Becoming Less and Less of a Person
In Ben Lerner’s new novel, technology divides us further from one another, and ourselves.
Dreams in April
A poem
Unconventional Novels About Conventional People
In some great books, readers watch a character become disillusioned with their dreams of joyful conformity.
What Tracy Kidder Stood For
His deep, immersive writing had moral stakes and changed people’s lives.
Will People Ever Stop Eating Animals?
Bruce Friedrich has devoted his life to reducing American meat consumption—and he isn’t giving up just yet.
How Long Can You Live Your Ideals?
Stories about revolutionaries seem to entrance readers and moviegoers alike—especially if they don’t end well.
Following
A poem
Let a Book Annoy You
Sometimes, an angry note in the margin can be an expression of love.
A Novel About Women Who Trade One Kind of Captivity for Another
In Charlotte Wood’s The Natural Way of Things, a group of captive women discover who they might become beyond the control of men.
‘Intensely Southern and Only Faintly Jewish’
Nicholas Lemann recalls an unusual and sometimes unsettling family history—his own.