Human History Gets a Rewrite
A brilliant new account upends bedrock assumptions about 30,000 years of change.
Book Review
Spotify Has Made All Music Into Background Music
Is the collapse of genre boundaries and the erosion of fervent musical loyalties a good thing?
W. G. Sebald Ransacked Jewish Lives for His Fictions
Why did he lie about his sources?
Jonathan Franzen’s Best Book Yet
At last he’s put aside the pyrotechnics and gone all in on his great theme: the American family.
Peter Thiel Hates a Copycat
The billionaire’s extreme contrarianism is the secret to his success.
What Is Crime in a Country Built on It?
How Colson Whitehead subverts genre conventions in his new book
The Problem With Being Cool About Sex
Half a century after the sexual revolution, a new generation of feminists understands that we still haven’t reconciled what we should want with what we do want.
The Political Novel Gets Very, Very Specific
A sprawling new book set in the Obama era inquires into the value of public life.
Sally Rooney Addresses Her Critics
The Irish writer has been accused of being overly sentimental and insufficiently political. In her new novel, she makes the case for her approach to fiction.
The Would-Be Savior of Patagonia
Are environmental crusaders like Douglas Tompkins good for the planet?