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
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 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.
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.