The Rise of CliffsNotes Cinema
Oversimplified literary remakes miss the point of the works they are adapting.
Culture
Why Justin Bieber Played YouTube Onstage for Thousands of People
The pop star transformed the normal act of browsing your laptop into something interesting—and unsettling.
The New Age of Performance Anxiety
With the rise of screen culture, all the world has stage fright.
Where Did ‘Let Them’ Come From?
Years before Mel Robbins published her best-selling self-help book, a struggling writer posted a poem with a similar message.
Six Books You’ll Want to Read Outdoors
Reading has been unfairly maligned as an indoor activity for far too long.
Trump Is Fulfilling Kissinger’s Dream
The president is not the first American leader to disregard the role of morality in foreign policy, but he’s taking things much further than anyone has before.
The End of the ‘Generic’ Grocery-Store Brand
They’re no longer terrible—in fact, they’re often the draw.
Dear James: A Riddle About Reading
Even when I love a book, I want it to end. Why?
A New Book Challenges the Church’s Reputation on Sex
Mainstream Christianity’s attitudes about sex have always been complicated—and its institutions might even be able to evolve.
Who’s Afraid of Gen Z’s Squeaky-Clean, Backflipping Bro?
Benson Boone has charmed his way to the top—and that really seems to bother some people.
The Short-Circuiting of the American Mind
A century-old book foresaw Trump’s most basic strategy.
A Hollywood Anachronism That Still Holds Up
The Legend of Ochi conjures the kinds of effects the film industry rarely uses anymore.
Guest House
A poem
Does Anyone Still Hitchhike?
Traveling by thumb isn’t popular anymore. Some say it should be.