https://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/2026-04-11T12:07:31-04:00Copyright 2026 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved.tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-686775<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>When kids spend time together, they create their own rituals and traditions, Julie Beck wrote in 2022—“essentially, their own folklore, or, as researchers call it, ‘childlore.’” A child might think they made up the game of tag or the concept of cooties, but these pastimes and languages are shared across time and place. As we age, Julie notes, we start to forget the experience of childlore: “The rebellious thrill, the intense comradery, the urge to pass the knowledge along (and pretend you came up with it yourself)—all of these things fade with time.”</p><p>The kids will keep that feeling alive for us, Julie writes. But today, take a few minutes to think back to your favorite game at recess, or the moment you learned how to build a cootie catcher—and take comfort in knowing that kids now and in the future share that same exuberance.</p><hr><p><strong>On Childhood Rituals</strong></p><p>Why Did We All Have the Same Childhood?</p><p><i>By Julie Beck</i></p><blockquote> <p>Children have a folklore all their own, and the games, rhymes, trends, and legends that catch on spread to many kids across time and space. (<em>From 2022</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/11/kids-pass-down-games-rhymes-legends-childlore/672024/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>What Adults Lost When Kids Stopped Playing in the Street</p><p><i>By Stephanie H. Murray</i></p><blockquote> <p>In many ways, a world built for cars has made life so much harder for grown-ups. (<em>From 2024</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/07/play-streets-children-adults/679258/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>To Play or Not to Play With Your Kid?</p><p><i>By Amanda Ruggeri</i></p><blockquote> <p>It shouldn’t be this hard to decide. (<em>From 2024</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/09/independent-play-advice-is-stressing-parents-out/679706/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/12/why-kids-love-garbage-trucks/603193/?utm_source=feed"><b>Why your kid loves the garbage truck</b></a>: For some kids, the weekly trash pickup is a must-see spectacle. In 2019, Ashley Fetters solicited theories from parents, children, waste-management professionals, and experts on why.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/06/dad-urday-fatherhood-ritual/683135/?utm_source=feed"><b>“The father-daughter routine that transformed our family life”</b></a>: In my household, Saturday is “Dad-urday,” Jordan Michelman writes.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/gas-prices-sign-driving/686759/?utm_source=feed">The romance of the gas-station sign </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/04/artemis-ii-moon-mission-base/686749/?utm_source=feed">What will humanity do with the moon?</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/08/mental-emotional-pain-tylenol-acetaminophen-relief/671226/?utm_source=feed">A shortcut for feeling just a little happier (<i>From 2022</i>)</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="Melting snow on a lake" height="1300" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2026/04/Screenshot_2026_04_11_at_11.02.04AM-1/original.png" width="972"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Courtney M.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Courtney M. sent this photo of “frozen snow shaped by the wind in February on Second Roach Pond” in Maine.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedThe Atlantic2026-04-11T11:20:00-04:002026-04-11T12:07:31-04:00

The joy of playing tag and creating secret languages has persisted across time and place.

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-686606<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>Waiting can be understood as the absence of something: It’s what stands between you and the coffee, the subway ride, the doctor’s appointment. But what if we tried to construe waiting as a gift of time instead? Okay, fine: Waiting for hours at the DMV or the airport may never feel like a <i>gift</i>. But if you use the interlude to pay attention to your surroundings—or even to crack open a book suitable for brief moments—it may offer more comfort than wallowing in annoyance. Today’s newsletter explores how to make waiting less miserable.</p><p>How Not to Be Bored When You Have to Wait</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>Sick of standing in line? Instead of looking at your phone, read on. (<em>From 2024</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/waiting-boredom-frustration-strategies/677767/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The One Line Americans (Weirdly) Choose to Wait In</p><p><i>By Valerie Trapp</i></p><blockquote> <p>Grocery self-checkout lines are now often longer than the staffed ones.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/12/self-checkout-grocery-line-long/685125/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>What to Read When You Have Only Half an Hour</p><p><i>By Celine Nguyen</i></p><blockquote> <p>A short story has velocity and verve, and the best ones create an immediate, instinctual bond between the reader and the characters. (<em>From 2024</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2024/06/short-story-book-recommendations/678637/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/boredom-parenthood-father/686158/?utm_source=feed"><b>Boredom is the price we pay for meaning</b></a>: “When I became a father, I was forced to reckon with the emotion that consumed my days,” Daniel Smith writes.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/how-to-cut-in-line/534222/?utm_source=feed"><b>How to cut in line</b></a>: “Given that Americans are estimated to collectively waste tens of billions of hours a year in lines, it’s no wonder that some people try to cut, and others bitterly resent them,” Jude Stewart wrote in 2017.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/03/gen-z-money-anxiety-savings/686558/?utm_source=feed">The sneak-saver generation </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/03/smartphones-ambivalence-tension/686563/?utm_source=feed">The tension that defines modern life</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/03/hoppers-pixar-movie-review/686560/?utm_source=feed">A shocking message for a kids’ movie</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="" height="1304" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2026/03/Screenshot_2026_03_28_at_10.20.54AM-1/original.png" width="978"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Karel R.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Karel R. from Bethesda shared “this opening bud on the star magnolia. I grew up in Southern California and, even after 50 years of living away, find the gray and gloom of eastern winters difficult to endure.” Karel writes that “watching the colors begin to return to my gardens in spring saves my soul and gives me hope for the future. Gardeners plant for now, for themselves, for their neighborhood, and for the future of this planet.”</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedCharles Hewitt / Getty2026-03-28T11:16:00-04:002026-03-30T10:13:40-04:00

What if we thought about waiting in line as a sudden opening of time?

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-686496<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>When Andrew McCarthy’s 21-year-old son turned to him and asked, “You don’t really have any friends, do you, Dad?” McCarthy had to stop and think. He had friends—at least he thought he did—but he saw and heard from them so infrequently that he started to wonder if they still counted as his friends. He asked himself: “What did I get from my friends, and what did I have to offer them?” The question set him on a mission to reconnect with a handful of his male friends, and it wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped.</p><p>“A <a href="https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/the-state-of-american-friendship-change-challenges-and-loss/">2021 survey</a> found that <a href="https://www.americansurveycenter.org/why-mens-social-circles-are-shrinking/">15 percent of men</a> confessed to having no close friends at all, up from 3 percent in 1990, while fewer than half of men said they were satisfied with how many friends they had,” McCarthy writes. Friendships are hard to maintain as work, family, and life demands set in, but the social stigma that some men face when opening up and being vulnerable can make things even harder. Today’s newsletter explores the struggles of male friendship and how to reimagine those bonds.</p><hr><p><strong>On Male Friendship</strong></p><p>Are They Still Your Friends if You Never See Them?</p><p><i>By Andrew McCarthy</i></p><blockquote> <p>The friendship crisis of American men</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/friendship-dads/686415/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>How the Passionate Male Friendship Died</p><p><i>By Tiffany Watt Smith</i></p><blockquote> <p>The “perfect” platonic bond used to be between two men. What happened?</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/05/men-friendship-history/682815/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Agony of Texting With Men</p><p><i>By Matthew Schnipper</i></p><blockquote> <p>Many guys are bad at messaging their friends back—and it might be making them more lonely.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/01/men-texting-men-loneliness/681076/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/07/dave-fx-tv-show-male-friendship/674719/?utm_source=feed"><b>An unlikely model for male friendship</b></a><b>:</b> Beneath the hijinks and lewdness, the show <i>Dave</i> charts how real vulnerability is essential to male bonding, Oliver Munday wrote in 2023.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/01/friend-group-loneliness/685528/?utm_source=feed"><b>The friend-group fallacy</b></a><b>:</b> Many people yearn for a crew, but having one is not actually the norm.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/03/pop-culture-romance-dwindling-vladimir-heated-rivalry/686475/?utm_source=feed">What we lost when we lost rom-coms</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/happiness-confidence-grandness-humility/684988/?utm_source=feed">To get happier, make yourself smaller.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/03/cold-plunging-longevity-wellness-mental-health/686466/?utm_source=feed">There’s only one reason to cold plunge.</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="A sunrise" height="2992" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2026/03/WR321/original.jpg" width="2992"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Cindy G.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Cindy G. sent this photo of a sunrise in Bucksport, Maine.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p><p></p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedRobert Rieger / Connected Archives2026-03-21T09:00:00-04:002026-03-23T09:16:47-04:00

And how to reimagine those bonds

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-686461<p><small><em>This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through </em>The Atlantic<em>’s archives to contextualize the present. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="596" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://link.theatlantic.com/click/33390566.0/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlYXRsYW50aWMuY29tL25ld3NsZXR0ZXJzL3NpZ24tdXAvdGltZS10cmF2ZWwtdGh1cnNkYXlzLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249dGltZS10cmF2ZWwtdGh1cnNkYXlzJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTIwMjMxMTE2JmxjdGc9NjA1MGUyYjIxZmMxNmQxMzdmODNjMDM4/6050e2b21fc16d137f83c038B739d3752&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700537312616000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1Wnu2HF_pgwDs1mmU_1D82" href="https://link.theatlantic.com/click/33390566.0/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlYXRsYW50aWMuY29tL25ld3NsZXR0ZXJzL3NpZ24tdXAvdGltZS10cmF2ZWwtdGh1cnNkYXlzLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249dGltZS10cmF2ZWwtdGh1cnNkYXlzJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTIwMjMxMTE2JmxjdGc9NjA1MGUyYjIxZmMxNmQxMzdmODNjMDM4/6050e2b21fc16d137f83c038B739d3752" target="_blank">Sign up here.</a></em></small></p><p>“I think of celebrities as the transient royalty of a democracy,” <a href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/archives/1975/12/236-6/132612421.pdf">Thomas Griffith</a> wrote in <i>The Atlantic</i> in 1975. “While reigning, they live like kings, with paid and unpaid courtiers to show them little attentions. But their powers and privileges last only during their flowering period.” Unlike royals, who pass their prominence on through bloodlines and establish long-lasting dynasties, many celebrities “become only half-recalled names in trivia.”</p><p>Ouch. But Griffith wasn’t wrong: Fame famously lasts for only 15 minutes, as the Andy Warhol axiom goes, and then it’s off to the land of pub-quiz deep cuts. Stars “live with the constant, terrifying possibility that their special gifts or their celebrity will vanish, exposing them as the insecure mortals they are in their own experience,” the psychoanalyst Sue Erikson Bloland, the daughter of the well-known German psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, wrote in <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1999/11/fame-the-power-and-cost-of-a-fantasy/377856/?utm_source=feed"><i>The Atlantic </i>in 1999</a>.</p><p>That fear leads some people to clutch their crown with both hands, even if it means saying yes to things they would’ve balked at before (see: competing on <i>Dancing With the Stars</i>, hosting a reality show, doing viral dances on TikTok). Their decline into obscurity can be delayed but not avoided—some celebrities whose spotlight is fading exhibit “an offstage melancholy that must come from what they see in their own mirror,” Griffith noted.</p><p>In the modern era, this “offstage melancholy” looks different. Many people, after reaching the peak of their fame, don’t go offstage at all. Instead, they parlay a past hit TV show into a nostalgia-bait podcast, or move from TikTok fame to making an album. Others reemerge in the zeitgeist for reasons they don’t explicitly control—TV shows that were moderately successful on cable might <a href="https://www.cinemablend.com/television/popular-tv-shows-that-got-even-more-popular-streaming">stream a decade later</a> and meet new and bigger audiences, and money-making franchises birth reboot after reboot. The longevity of some celebrities is extended beyond life itself: CGI and AI enable them to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/val-kilmer-ai-movie-5e32b8e3ee65a01b75902bf4d0bf0b98">appear in films</a>—and to hawk beauty products—even <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/12/ai-dead-celebrity-estate-profit/680873/?utm_source=feed">after their death</a>. Marilyn Monroe’s visage is selling lipstick; a hologram Whitney Houston sings her hits in Las Vegas.</p><p>When Michael Jackson died, in 2009, some commentators lamented that he would be the last true celebrity—that the advent of the World Wide Web would splinter people’s attention too much for one star to rise so far above the rest. The same year, Richard Florida argued in an <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2009/07/the-end-of-celebrity/20780/?utm_source=feed"><i>Atlantic</i> essay</a> against that idea: “There’s good reason to suspect that, sooner or later, new technology will spawn an even bigger mega-star with even more global reach.”</p><p>Innovations in technology and media have indeed augmented star power over the course of American history: Rudy Vallée’s singing voice was “amplified by the invention of the electric microphone,” Florida writes; Frank Sinatra “was one of the first to capitalize on tie-ins between radio, albums, and feature films.” Today, streaming and social media have removed many restrictions to fame’s reach—although whether any recent star has achieved Michael Jackson levels of ubiquity yet is hard to say.</p><p>But just as new technology has changed the scale of celebrity, it has also rewired the celebrity clock. Even though the attention economy pushes people to jockey for just five seconds of a viewer’s time, some celebrities are also staying famous for longer. When someone can repeatedly reinvent themselves, relying on different platforms and audiences to boost their profile at different points, fame may not feel as fleeting as it once did.</p><p>Ultimately, the celebrity clock is just a measure of how willing the public is to hear from the same person over and over. Fame is never entirely in the famous person’s control; it is invented as much as it is earned. (Case in point: Andy Warhol likely <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/andy-warhol-probably-never-said-his-celebrated-fame-line-180950456/">never actually said</a> the thing about 15 minutes of fame, but once the phrase became associated with him, that didn’t matter.) A celebrity can try with all their might to hold on to the good old days. But they still meet the same end: Stars “have a spectacular passage across our skies,” Griffith wrote. Then they fall.</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedIllustration by The Atlantic2026-03-19T12:45:00-04:002026-03-19T16:55:23-04:00

Stars can stay relevant for longer than ever now.

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-686391<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>How does a person take smart risks? To start, mind the difference between recklessness and bravery, Arthur C. Brooks wrote in 2022. Free soloing a mountain with no climbing experience? Reckless. Confessing your love or going for that job you’ve always dreamed of? Brave.<br> <br> The intelligent form of risk-taking can add joy to life. But Americans are also up against powerful forces that profit off of the reckless kind. When my colleague McKay Coppins set out to report on the explosive growth of the sports-betting industry, his editors thought that he should experience the phenomenon firsthand. He quickly discovered just how easy it is to fall into the compulsion and delusion of gambling. “As a society, we are making an enormously risky bet: that we can reap the rewards of a runaway gambling industry without paying any price,” he writes in our April cover story.</p><hr><p><strong>On Risk-Taking</strong></p><p>The Magic of a Little Danger</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>To get happier, be brave, not reckless. (<em>From 2022</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/07/how-to-take-smart-risks/661487/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Sucker</p><p><i>By McKay Coppins</i></p><blockquote> <p>My year as a degenerate gambler</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/online-sports-betting-app-addiction/686061/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>A Very Radical, Very Delicious Take on Risk Management</p><p><i>By Rachel Gutman-Wei</i></p><blockquote> <p>When times are dark, I lick the bowl. (<em>From 2021</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/12/raw-batter-delicious-risk/621072/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/08/worst-advice-parents-can-give-college-first-years/679610/?utm_source=feed"><b>The worst advice parents can give first-year students</b></a>: Today’s college students will have ample time to figure out their careers. Before that, encourage them to take risks, Ezekiel J. Emanuel argued in 2024.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/10/extreme-fishing-montauk-wetsuiting-striped-bass/679574/?utm_source=feed"><b>Inside the dangerous, secretive world of extreme fishing</b></a>: In 2024, Tyler Austin Harper explained why he swims out into rough seas 80 nights a year to hunt for striped bass.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/barnes-noble-popularity/686369/?utm_source=feed">How America learned to love Barnes &amp; Noble again</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/03/sirat-movie-raving/686373/?utm_source=feed">Raving at the end of the world</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/03/raymond-chandler-hollywood-magazine-edit/686350/?utm_source=feed">Raymond Chandler and the case of the split infinitive</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="A hornet perched on a sunflower " height="600" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/img/posts/2026/03/WR314/cfa95a2a8.jpg" width="665"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Jenny R.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “This hornet perched on a sunflower creates a sense of awe in me, “ Jenny R., 67, from Casper, Wyoming, writes.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedKriangkrai Thitimakorn / Getty2026-03-14T10:57:00-04:002026-03-16T09:58:03-04:00

Good risk can bring joy to life, but Americans are up against forces that profit from the reckless kind.

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-686286<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>“In 1989, at Dartmouth College, the poet and essayist Joseph Brodsky delivered what must be one of the strangest commencement addresses of all time,” Daniel Smith wrote recently. “Brodsky told the graduates that their lives would soon be claimed by the ‘incurable malaise’ of boredom. If they thought they already knew this feeling, they were wrong. ‘The worst monotonous drone coming from a lectern or the eye-splitting textbook in turgid English is nothing in comparison to the psychological Sahara that starts right in your bedroom and spurns the horizon,’” Brodsky told the graduates.</p><p>Brodsky advised the students not to hide from the feeling. Boredom exists “to teach you the most valuable lesson in your life,” he said, “the lesson of your utter insignificance.” Even if that kind of enlightenment doesn’t come at the end of boredom, Smith notes in his essay, there’s power in letting yourself feel it—while you’re running errands, while you’re doing chores, while you’re on hold with the insurance company. Soon, you may come to understand that those thousands of bored hours are inextricable from a life of meaning.</p><hr><p><strong>On Boredom</strong></p><p>Boredom Is the Price We Pay for Meaning</p><p><i>By Daniel Smith</i></p><blockquote> <p>When I became a father, I was forced to reckon with the emotion that consumed my days.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/boredom-parenthood-father/686158/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>How Not to Be Bored When You Have to Wait</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>Sick of standing in line? Instead of looking at your phone, read on. (<em>From 2024</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/waiting-boredom-frustration-strategies/677767/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Five Books That Will Redirect Your Attention</p><p><i>By Rhian Sasseen</i></p><blockquote> <p>When malaise strikes, a book can break the spell—if you choose the right<em> </em>one.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2025/05/bored-focus-book-recommendations/682974/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/12/attention-please/573904/?utm_source=feed"><b>The benefits of a short attention span</b></a>: Chronic distraction has its upsides, Ben Healy wrote in 2018.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2022/03/americans-focus-attention-span-threat-democracy/626556/?utm_source=feed"><b>The great fracturing of American attention</b></a>: In 2022, Megan Garber wrote on why resisting distraction is one of the foundational challenges of this moment.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/01/friend-group-loneliness/685528/?utm_source=feed">The friend-group fallacy </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/03/reality-check-americas-next-top-model-netflix-documentary-review/686248/?utm_source=feed">What <i>America’s Next Top Model </i>was really selling</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/boundaries-psychology-therapy-mental-health/674882/?utm_source=feed">The most misunderstood concept in psychology</a> (<i>From 2023</i>)</li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="A hibiscus flower" height="1440" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2026/03/1000001742/original.webp" width="1440"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of LauraLee C.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. LauraLee C. from Lincoln, Nebraska, sent this photo of a tropical hibiscus. “There are multiple pictures of hibiscus flowers in my collections, but this one always fascinates and charms me, reminding me of a flamenco dancer,” LauraLee writes.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedJaime Monfort / Getty2026-03-07T11:13:00-05:002026-03-09T09:38:04-04:00

Boredom is inextricable from a meaningful life.

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-686192<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>How does a life spent studying gender equality translate to someone’s real relationship? In 2021, Joe Pinsker wondered if the gender scholars he’d interviewed for his stories were able to take what they knew home with them. He discovered that they seemed better than the average individual at avoiding common patterns in different-sex relationships.</p><p>But even all of their training couldn’t prevent some pesky norms from creeping in: “The women I interviewed tended to disproportionately handle the managerial elements of running a home, as well as their household’s ‘mental load’—the invisible logistical and emotional work of, among other things, keeping track of when kids need new clothes, planning family outings, and remembering to send birthday cards to loved ones,” Pinsker wrote. Today’s newsletter explores strategies to ensure an equal household—and why making that happen is so hard.</p><hr><p><strong>On Equal Partnership </strong></p><p>The Gender Researcher’s Guide to an Equal Marriage</p><p><i>By Joe Pinsker</i></p><p>In their personal lives, sociologists attempt to ward off the same inequalities that they study at work. (<em>From 2021</em>)</p><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/10/gender-researchers-divide-chores-parenting-at-home/620319/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>A Smarter Way to Divide Chores?</p><p><i>By Joe Pinsker</i></p><p>Couples who share every task, rather than having their own separate to-do lists, tend to be more satisfied with their relationship. (<em>From 2022</em>)</p><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/04/household-chores-share-responsibility-study/629671/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Doomed to Be a Tradwife</p><p><i>By Olga Khazan</i></p><p>Can a marriage ever truly be equal?</p><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/fair-play-marriage-chore-division/681152/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/10/how-dual-income-couples-find-balance-love-and-work/599938/?utm_source=feed"><b>“What I learned about equal partnership by studying dual-income couples”</b></a><b>:</b> “I studied more than 100 dual-income couples and found a few things in common among the ones who managed to create partnerships that felt truly equal,” Jennifer Petriglieri wrote in 2019.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/happily-ever-after/372573/?utm_source=feed"><b>Masters of love</b></a>: Science says lasting relationships come down to—you guessed it—kindness and generosity, Emily Esfahani Smith wrote in 2014.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/boredom-parenthood-father/686158/?utm_source=feed">Boredom is the price we pay for meaning.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/02/books-reset-view-mundane-extraordinary-recommendations/686128/?utm_source=feed">Nine books to reset your view of the world </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/02/sex-scenes-literature-heterosexual-romance/686148/?utm_source=feed">When did literature get less dirty?</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="A lake with a setting sun over it" height="1918" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2026/02/Abraham_Lincoln_Memorial_Gardens_Lake_Springfield_sunset_Springfield_IL_2_13_2026_Mike_Matejka/original.jpg" width="1438"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Mike M.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Mike M., 73, sent this photo of “sunset on Lake Springfield from the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Gardens,” taken one day after Lincoln’s birthday.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedMartin Barraud / Getty2026-02-28T10:27:00-05:002026-02-28T10:29:31-05:00

And why making a fair split of chores actually stick is so hard

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-686098<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>Many of us wish we had more time in the day to sit with a book: to get stuck in place for hours, entirely immersed. But reading in short chunks doesn’t have to mean a shallow experience: Some works even benefit from those constraints. Today’s newsletter rounds up our writers’ suggestions for what to read when you don’t have much time—or much focus—to spare. I hope you enjoy however many moments of reading you can steal away this weekend.</p><hr><p><strong>Books for the Busy Person</strong></p><p>Seven Books to Read When You Have No Time to Read</p><p><i>By Bekah Waalkes</i></p><blockquote> <p>These titles are worth picking up, even if you have only a moment to spare.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/02/books-no-time-15-minutes-recommendations/685855/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p>What to Read When You Have Only Half an Hour</p><p><i>By Celine Nguyen</i></p><blockquote> <p>A short story has velocity and verve, and the best ones create an immediate, instinctual bond between the reader and the characters. (<em>From 2024</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2024/06/short-story-book-recommendations/678637/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Books We Read Too Late—And That You Should Read Now</p><p><i>By The Atlantic Culture Desk</i></p><blockquote> <p>One of the great, bittersweet pleasures of life is finishing a title and thinking about how it might have affected you—if only you’d found it sooner.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/09/books-younger-selves-recommendations/671601/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2024/11/books-briefing-gen-z-reading-books-waste-time/680586/?utm_source=feed"><b>How Gen Z came to see books as a waste of time</b></a><b>:</b> Young people might be responding to a cultural message: Reading just isn’t that important, Rose Horowitch wrote in the Books Briefing newsletter in 2024.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/10/best-short-books-weekend-read/671733/?utm_source=feed"><b>You can read any of these short novels in a weekend</b></a><b>:</b> These books may be brief, but they use their limited word count to demonstrate the power of concision, Bethanne Patrick wrote in 2022.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/09/manifestation-positive-thinking-happiness/679695/?utm_source=feed">How to be manifestly happier.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/02/gisele-pelicot-hymn-to-life-memoir/686045/?utm_source=feed">An extraordinary account of a dangerous marriage</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/02/rfk-jrs-workout-pants/686071/?utm_source=feed">Let’s talk about RFK Jr.’s workout pants. </a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="The rock in Morro Bat, CA" height="1298" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2026/02/Screenshot_2026_02_20_at_6.25.08PM/original.png" width="974"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of William P.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. William P. shared this photo of “the rock” at Morro Bay, California, “with evening light illuminating the ice plants covering the sand dunes.”</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedHelena de la Guardia / Getty2026-02-21T09:00:00-05:002026-02-21T09:01:56-05:00

A roundup of suggestions for what to read when you’re short on time or focus

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-685923<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>When Michael Pollan traveled to a cave in New Mexico to try to understand consciousness, he learned what good meditation is really made of. “The recipe was simpler (and much less appetizing) than I would have imagined,” he writes: “<i>To transcend the self, force yourself to be alone with it long enough to get so bored and exhausted that you are happy to let it go.</i>”</p><p>As Pollan intuits, this practice isn’t all that fun at first. But by the end, you get somewhere that makes it all worth it. Deep, existential thinking is a little like exercise, Arthur C. Brooks wrote in 2024: We might avoid contemplating big questions because of the short-term discomfort, but in doing so we ignore the bigger payoff. You can schedule deep thinking into your life in the same way you would a workout, Brooks argues: Take time out of the day to meditate and consider meaningful ideas, or go for a morning walk without your devices to spark contemplation. Today’s newsletter explores these and other ways of turning deep thought into a habit.</p><hr><p><strong>On Thinking More Deeply</strong></p><p>Three Ways to Become a Deeper Thinker</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>You don’t have to become a Buddhist monk to realize the value of contemplating hard questions without clear answers. (<em>From 2024</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/11/sound-of-one-hand-clapping/680699/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>How to Have a ‘Don’t-Know Mind’</p><p><i>By Michael Pollan</i></p><blockquote> <p>My quest to understand consciousness took me to a cave in New Mexico and then deep into the cosmos.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/01/consciousness-journey-zen-meditation/685647/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p>Don’t Make Small Talk. Think Big Talk.</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>Discover the rewards of discussing deep things.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/science-behind-art-conversation/681562/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/03/philosophy-profundity-purpose-limits/673471/?utm_source=feed"><b>A philosopher gets fed up with profundity</b></a>: There are better ways to communicate, Agnes Callard argued in 2023.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/ai-deskilling-automation-technology/684669/?utm_source=feed"><b>The age of de-skilling</b></a>: Will AI stretch our minds—or stunt them?</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/02/father-daughter-divide/684466/?utm_source=feed">The father-daughter divide</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/02/super-bowl-prediction-markets-kalshi/685899/?utm_source=feed">You’ve never seen Super Bowl betting like this before.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2026/02/americas-cows-milkfat/685881/?utm_source=feed">American milk has changed.</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="A reflection of trees in the water" height="1080" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2026/02/WR27/original.jpg" width="1080"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Lisa C.K.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “Have you ever seen a sound wave in the shoreline? I delight every time,”  Lisa C.K. from Sarasota, Florida, writes.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedGary Yeowell / Getty2026-02-07T09:59:00-05:002026-02-07T10:00:56-05:00

The practice may not be fun at first, but the end result is worth it.

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-685742<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>Last spring, my colleague Elaine Godfrey wrote about finding joy in mundane places. She posed a question that generated dozens of replies from our readers:<i> “</i>How do you add small, delectable moments to your everyday life?” The responses are as specific as they are inspiring.</p><p>Some readers said they spent time with their pets: “The dog and then the cat get their morning pets and rubs, from nose to tail,” Denise L. wrote. “I inquire how they slept, about the day’s plans, and if breakfast was to their liking.” Others said they turned to tried-and-true morning rituals: “Is it a cliché to point to morning coffee as an immediate, life-affirming delight?,” Meg Z. S. asked. “Each day contains exactly one first sip and no more. You need to make it through a whole day to earn another—and then it starts all over again.”</p><p>Spend time with Elaine’s and our readers’ recommendations below. I hope you find some delight in your Saturday, however you’re spending it.</p><hr><p><strong>On Moments of Joy</strong></p><p>How to Make Life Feel a Little Nicer</p><p><i>By Elaine Godfrey</i></p><blockquote> <p>Readers give their tips for seeking out small moments of joy.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/08/daily-joy-rituals/683877/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>An Easy Summer Project Worth Doing</p><p><i>By Elaine Godfrey</i></p><blockquote> <p>Finding small moments of joy can make every day feel—at least a little—like vacation.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/07/summer-joy-moments/683676/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Quiet Profundity of Everyday Awe</p><p><i>By Dacher Keltner</i></p><blockquote> <p>That feeling—of being in the presence of something vast—is good for us. And, counterintuitively, it can often be found in completely unremarkable circumstances. (<em>From 2023</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2023/01/feeling-in-awe-take-walk-visual-art/672617/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2021/12/happiness-joy-arthur-brooks-how-to-life/621016/?utm_source=feed"><b>When was the last time you felt truly happy?</b></a> In 2021, our <i>How to Build a Happy Life</i> podcast heard from people around the world who had an answer to this question.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/06/why-joy-better-happiness/592735/?utm_source=feed"><b>The infrastructure of joy</b></a>: In 2019, Ian Bogost asked: “Will building delight into cities make them more cloying or more fun?”</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/01/49ers-emf-conspiracy-theory/685722/?utm_source=feed">The sports conspiracy that’s too easy to believe</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/01/professional-rejection-work-upside/685713/?utm_source=feed">The upside of professional rejection </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1995/01/in-praise-of-snow/305654/?utm_source=feed">In praise of snow (<i>From 1995</i>)</a></li> </ul><hr><p><strong>PS</strong></p><figure><img alt="Sunset over the highway" height="888" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/img/posts/2026/01/Screenshot_2026_01_23_at_9.23.51PM/01aabd097.png" width="665"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Maureen T.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “You can find wonder even when you are merging onto the highway in the evening. The sky was awesome,” Maureen T., 75, in Toronto, Ontario, writes.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedIsabelle Chauvel / Getty2026-01-24T09:00:00-05:002026-01-28T17:20:28-05:00

Suggestions from <em>Atlantic</em> staff and readers on seeking delight in the mundane

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-685668<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>When you watch an actor accepting an Oscar, or read about a brilliant scientist receiving a huge prize, you might imagine that they’ve found the key to happiness. Who wouldn’t be happy, living life with so much talent or smarts? But the relationship between intelligence and happiness is complicated, Arthur C. Brooks wrote in 2023. “The gifts you possess can lift you up or pull you down; it all depends on how you use them,” he explained. Today’s newsletter explores how to utilize your skills and smarts to add joy to your life, rather than letting them chip away at what actually makes the days meaningful.</p><hr><p><strong>On Happiness and Intelligence</strong></p><p>How Smart People Can Stop Being Miserable</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>Intelligence can make you happier, but only if you see it as more than a tool to get ahead. (<em>From 2023</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2023/03/intelligence-well-being-life-satisfaction-happiness/673476/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>How to Want Less</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>The secret to satisfaction has nothing to do with achievement, money, or stuff. (<em>From 2022</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/03/why-we-are-never-satisfied-happiness/621304/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>A New Understanding of Human Beings’ Most Basic Desire</p><p><i>By John Kaag</i></p><blockquote> <p>The philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein’s latest book looks beyond happiness as the goal of a well-lived life.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/01/the-mattering-instinct-rebecca-newberger-goldstein-book-review/685536/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/why-so-many-smart-people-arent-happy/479832/?utm_source=feed"><b>Why so many smart people aren’t happy</b></a>: It’s a paradox, Joe Pinsker wrote in 2016: Shouldn’t the most accomplished be well equipped to make choices that maximize life satisfaction?</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2022/11/happiness-formula-howto-age/672109/?utm_source=feed"><b>A new formula for happiness</b></a>: The happiness we seek may require investing earlier than we think—and may help us align our expectations and reality at the end of life. (<em>From 2022</em>)</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/01/ai-boyfriend-women-gender/685315/?utm_source=feed">The bots that women use in a world of unsatisfying men</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/01/high-january-alcohol-cannabis/685624/?utm_source=feed">High January was bound to happen.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/01/28-years-later-the-bone-temple-movie-review/685631/?utm_source=feed">An apocalypse film that will prompt wild cheering</a></li> </ul><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="Two hearts created by car tracks in the show" height="1290" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2026/01/Screenshot_2026_01_17_at_10.32.20AM/original.png" width="1278"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Jane P</figcaption> </figure><p>Every week, I ask readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “A driver unknowingly leaves behind a thing of beauty in fresh snow,” Jane P., 60, from Portland, Oregon, writes.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedMaya Karkalicheva / Getty2026-01-17T11:01:00-05:002026-01-17T11:05:22-05:00

You might expect smarts and skill to lead to joy, but it’s not that simple.

tag:theatlantic.com,2026:50-685486<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p><i>Challenge</i> has become a dirty word in literary circles, Robert Rubsam wrote recently: “This era of declining literacy and unsteady sales has led publishers to seek out writing that is summarizable, adaptable.” But books that demand effort, Rubsam argues, can help us encounter new possibilities in both literature and life.</p><p>“Whatever the limitations of the marketplace, great writing remains as capable as ever of breaking open your sense of the world and your place in it,” Rubsam writes. Today’s newsletter rounds up some of our recommendations for books that will challenge you and grab your attention.</p><hr><p><strong>On Reading Habits</strong></p><p>A Bizarre, Challenging Book More People Should Read</p><p><i>By Robert Rubsam</i></p><blockquote> <p>The true pleasure of literature can be found in demanding works such as <em>Your Name Here</em>, by Helen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/01/challenging-book-literature-dewitt-gridneff-your-name-here/685453/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Five Books That Offer Readers Intellectual Exercise</p><p><i>By Ilana Masad</i></p><blockquote> <p>Each of these titles exercises a different kind of reading muscle so that you can choose the one that will push you most.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2025/01/challenge-new-year-book-recommendations-2025/681199/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Seven Books That Will Make You Put Down Your Phone</p><p><i>By Bekah Waalkes</i></p><blockquote> <p>These titles self-consciously aim to grab their reader’s attention. (<em>From 2023</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2023/08/attention-focus-book-recommendations/674941/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/01/books-briefing-2026-reading-resolution-you-can-keep/685475/?utm_source=feed"><b>A reading resolution you can keep</b></a><b>: </b>Aim to bump older, culturally important, or much-recommended works to the top of your to-be-read list, Emma Sarappo writes.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2024/12/know-nothing-surprising-book-recommendations/680958/?utm_source=feed"><b>Read these six books—just trust us</b></a>: Each title richly rewards readers who come in with little prior knowledge.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/reading-crisis-solution-literature-personal-passion/685461/?utm_source=feed">Reading is a vice.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/01/counters-clear-tidy/685334/?utm_source=feed">One weird trick to feel more relaxed at home</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2025/12/costco-is-an-american-achievement/685411/?utm_source=feed">The cult of Costco</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="Leaves stuck to the sidewalk with rain on them" height="1560" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2026/01/Screenshot_2026_01_03_at_10.06.26_AM/original.png" width="1158"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Dave B</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “Walking near my house in Seattle on a rainy fall day, I saw a number of leaves stuck to the sidewalk with rain beaded on them. This one was my favorite,” Dave B., 65, writes.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedIllustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani / The Atlantic2026-01-03T10:29:00-05:002026-01-03T10:29:30-05:00

Our writers’ recommendations for literature that challenges and expands

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-685372<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>Something about getting older makes it easier to say “No, thank you.” On average, older Americans score higher on well-being than younger adults, and much of this is thanks to developing a clearer sense of what’s worth time and attention. At 61 years old, Arthur C. Brooks writes in his recent column, “I will go to considerable personal effort to serve causes that I care about, and I will discuss matters of spiritual depth or scientific importance for hours on end. But small talk in a noisy bar? No chance.”</p><p>The idea of saving your energy for what really matters seems obvious, even cliché. But as life’s pressures mount, it can be hard to sift through and make those decisions. Today’s newsletter offers some tips for making the tough choices that will ultimately help life feel more joyful.</p><hr><p><strong>On Aging Happily</strong></p><p>What I Wish I’d Known When I Was Younger</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>The three reasons old people are happier that work for any age</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/12/elderly-happiness-advice-stress/685290/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>What the Longest Study on Human Happiness Found Is the Key to a Good Life</p><p><i>By Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz</i></p><blockquote> <p>The Harvard Study of Adult Development has established a strong correlation between deep relationships and well-being. The question is, how does a person nurture those deep relationships?</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/harvard-happiness-study-relationships/672753/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Seven Habits That Lead to Happiness in Old Age</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>Your well-being is like a retirement account: The sooner you invest, the greater your returns will be.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/02/happiness-age-investment/622818/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/12/the-real-roots-of-midlife-crisis/382235/?utm_source=feed"><b>The real roots of midlife crisis</b></a>: What a growing body of research reveals about the biology of human happiness—and how to navigate the (temporary) slump in middle age (<i>from 2014</i>)</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/07/nora-ephrons-rules-for-middle-age-happiness/619535/?utm_source=feed"><b>Three rules for middle-age happiness</b></a>: “Nora Ephron taught me that couches should be white; tables, round; emails, short; lunches, long,” Deborah Copaken wrote in 2021.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2025/12/physics-life-reductionism-complexity/685257/?utm_source=feed">The truth physics can no longer ignore</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2025/12/hair-loss-regrowth-rogaine-millennial-women/685095/?utm_source=feed">Americans refuse to go bald.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/12/avatar-3-fire-and-ash-review/685322/?utm_source=feed"><i>Avatar</i> is no longer trying to get anyone on board.</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="The view from First People’s Buffalo Jump park" height="1498" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/12/Screenshot_2025_12_20_at_10.47.21_AM/original.png" width="1106"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Linda C.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Linda C., 68,  sent this photo of “the view from First People’s Buffalo Jump near Great Falls, Montana. I hike here most seasons to enjoy the expansive views and reflect on the people and animals who trod here before me.”</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p><p></p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedOleg Breslavtsev / Getty2025-12-20T10:52:00-05:002025-12-20T10:52:35-05:00

Happiness often comes from figuring out what’s worth your energy.

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-685246<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>The year 2025 was hard for the film industry but good for movies. “Looking back at this turbulent year, rife with the usual industry concerns over the viability of the theatrical experience, young people’s slipping attention spans, and Hollywood’s overreliance on franchises, unearths a diverse crop of gems,” my colleague David Sims wrote this week.</p><p>Spend time with his list of the year’s 10 best films, and when you’re done reflecting on the year that was, spare a moment for some of our critics’ other recommendations. Maybe you’ll return to a beloved favorite or find something new.</p><hr><p><strong>On Movies</strong></p><p>The 10 Best Movies of 2025</p><p><i>By David Sims</i></p><blockquote> <p>The standout films that helped cinema survive another turbulent year</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/12/best-movies-2025-one-battle-after-another-weapons/685007/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Five Movies Worth a Repeat Watch</p><p><i>By Stephanie Bai</i></p><blockquote> <p>Our writers and editors share which films they can enjoy over and over again.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/06/five-movies-worth-a-repeat-watch/682989/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>25 Feel-Good Films You’ll Want to Watch Again—And Again</p><p><i>By David Sims</i></p><blockquote> <p>Anxious? Here are some of the best and most rewatch-friendly movies to soothe your mind. (<em>From 2020</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/10/comfort-movies/616939/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/12/best-albums-2025/685008/?utm_source=feed"><b>The best albums of the year</b></a><b>: </b>Although we may be on the cusp of a major shift in how music is made, achieving excellent results will always require a human approach, our critic Spencer Kornhaber writes.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/2025/12/hopeful-images-2025/685223/?utm_source=feed"><b>Hopeful images from 2025</b></a>: Photos that recognize some of the abundant joy and kindness present in the world around us</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/12/six-seven-meme-over/685231/?utm_source=feed">‘Six-seven’ is six feet under.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/12/barry-bonds-mlb-hall-of-fame-steroids/685208/?utm_source=feed">What do you think of Barry Bonds now?</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/12/therapy-speak-therapy/685218/?utm_source=feed">Why couples therapists are sick of ‘therapy-speak’</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="An image of buildings reflected on the water" height="1488" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/12/Screenshot_2025_12_12_at_8.16.21_PM/original.png" width="2014"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of CB</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. C.B., age 68, sent this photo of Vancouver, Canada.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedfStop Images - Twins / Getty2025-12-13T09:00:00-05:002025-12-13T09:36:08-05:00

A roundup of recommendations from our critics

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-685172<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>“Talking about politics at our family gatherings can be like smoking a cigarette at a gas station—there’s a good chance it will make the whole place explode,” the journalist Elizabeth Harris wrote last year. So she tried to approach these conversations like a reporter: “I wasn’t looking to have a back-and-forth; I was looking for information. I wanted to know what they thought and why.”</p><p>Politics isn’t the only topic that can feel impossible to discuss. Families struggle to talk about their history, about what they need from one another, about the things they regret or haven’t forgiven one another for. The holidays can sometimes feel like the powder keg Harris described, where everyone is trying to avoid saying the wrong thing. But maybe there’s another way. Today’s newsletter explores how to approach even the hardest family conversations.</p><hr><p><strong>On Family Conversations</strong></p><p>The Questions We Don’t Ask Our Families but Should</p><p><i>By Elizabeth Keating</i></p><blockquote> <p>Many people don’t know very much about their older relatives. But if we don’t ask, we risk never knowing our own history. (<em>From 2022</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/11/learning-family-history-questions-to-ask-relatives/672115/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>How to Not Fight With Your Family About Politics</p><p><i>By Elizabeth Harris</i></p><blockquote> <p>This holiday, ask questions like a reporter.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/holiday-family-fighting-politics/681126/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Why We Speak More Weirdly at Home</p><p><i>By Kathryn Hymes</i></p><blockquote> <p>When people share a space, their collective experience can sprout its own vocabulary, known as a <em>familect</em>. (<em>From 2021</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/05/family-secret-language-familect/618871/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/10/sibling-therapy-conflict/680177/?utm_source=feed"><b>Couples therapy, but for siblings</b></a>: The practice isn’t common. Maybe it should be, Faith Hill wrote last year.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2023/08/sibling-relationships-change-adulthood/675027/?utm_source=feed"><b>The longest relationships of our lives</b></a>: As brothers and sisters grow up, what they do can determine whether they stay stuck in their childhood roles—or break free of them, Angela Chen wrote in 2023.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/12/best-books-2025-ian-mcewan-han-kang/685006/?utm_source=feed">The books that made us think the most this year</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/2025/12/nfl-scorigami-36-23/685136/?utm_source=feed">No NFL game has ever ended in a score of 36–23.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/2025/12/day-5-2025-space-telescope-advent-calendar-colorful-stars-all-ages/685154/?utm_source=feed">Colorful stars of all ages</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="An image of sunrise on the beach" height="1552" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/12/Screenshot_2025_12_06_at_10.12.26_AM/original.png" width="1176"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Karen P.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Today’s submission is from Karen P., who describes her view of “life in retirement at Sunrise Beach in Marshfield, Massachusetts.”</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedBert Hardy / Picture Post / Hulton Archive / Getty2025-12-06T11:30:00-05:002025-12-06T12:04:12-05:00

There’s a way to talk that doesn’t end in fighting.

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-685085<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>It’s humbling to realize that other people may live the majority of their life at entirely different hours than you do. If you’re a morning person, you’re sleeping through the joys, crises, snacks, arguments, and laughs of many night owls—and vice versa.</p><p>Morning people and night people can feel like warring species, and each will jump at the chance to tell you why their way is the better one. But responsibilities and schedules sometimes necessitate changing our habits, and even the most dedicated morning person can find themselves needing to stay up late. For the writer Liz Krieger, moments of connection with her daughters made staying up a little later worth it: “I know I’ll never be someone who comes alive at midnight, but I am learning to stretch the boundaries of my days to let a little of the night in,” she wrote recently. Today’s newsletter explores sleep habits, and what happens when we try to change them.</p><p><strong>On Sleep Habits</strong></p><p>The Social Cost of Being a Morning Person</p><p><i>By Liz Krieger</i></p><blockquote> <p>Rising early is great for my productivity—and hard on my relationships.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/11/morning-routine-productivity-culture-hidden-cost/684965/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The False Promise of Morning Routines</p><p><i>By Marina Koren</i></p><blockquote> <p>Why everyone’s mornings seem more productive than yours (<em>From 2019</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/12/morning-routines/602788/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Nocturnals</p><p><i>By Faith Hill</i></p><blockquote> <p>While most people are fast asleep, some ultra-introverts are going about their lives, reveling in the quiet and solitude. They challenge a core assumption of psychology: that all humans need social connection. (<em>From 2022</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/02/ultra-introverts-nocturnal-lives/622856/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/08/5-to-9-videos-labor/683860/?utm_source=feed"><b>The logic of the “9 to 5” is creeping into the rest of the day</b></a><b>:</b> How free time gets conscripted into the service of work</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/08/how-know-if-youre-morning-person/595990/?utm_source=feed"><b>The life of a person who wakes up really, really early</b></a><b>:</b> “Extreme larks” get up naturally when some people have hardly gone to bed. (<i>From 2019</i>)</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/11/grandparent-grandchildren-hug-debate/685066/?utm_source=feed">“Grandparenting on eggshells”</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/01/rock-music-history-drummers/684955/?utm_source=feed">The great mystery of drumming</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/01/women-food-influencers-gender-politics/684956/?utm_source=feed">The culture war comes to the kitchen. </a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="A double rainbow with the silhouette of a person" height="3000" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/11/WRnov29/original.jpg" width="4000"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Lesley Grant</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “I've seen double rainbows before, but never with a view of both ends,” Lesley Grant, 60, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, writes.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedToby Melville / Reuters2025-11-29T09:00:00-05:002025-11-29T09:01:56-05:00

Altering your habits one bit at a time is possible—if you have a good reason to do so.

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-685030<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>A few years ago, my colleague Olga Khazan shared a radical proposition: What if we stopped firing our friends? The friendship breakup has become a feature of modern life: Online, advice abounds on “how to aggressively confront, or even abandon, friends who disappoint us,” Olga noted. But what if another solution exists? Instead of firing your friends, psychologists told her, it helps to expand your circle, allowing more people to provide you with different types of support or camaraderie: “Rather than resting on one pillar, healthy friendship is better imagined as crowd-surfing—many hands holding you up,” Olga writes.</p><p>The magic of friendship is in its murkiness: We meet a new friend, make room for them in our lives, and sometimes come to rely on them more than we ever expected. But unlike in other relationships, communicating our needs isn’t the norm in friendships—which gives our friends more opportunities to disappoint us. Today’s newsletter explores what to do when your friends aren’t giving you what you need.</p><p><strong>On Friendship Disappointments</strong></p><p>That’s It. You’re Dead to Me.</p><p><i>By Kaitlyn Tiffany</i></p><blockquote> <p>Suddenly everyone is “toxic.” (<em>From 2022</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/09/toxic-person-tiktok-internet-slang-meaning/670599/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Stop Firing Your Friends</p><p><i>By Olga Khazan</i></p><blockquote> <p>Just make more of them. (<em>From 2023</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/stop-breaking-up-with-friends/674540/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Six Forces That Fuel Friendship</p><p><i>By Julie Beck</i></p><blockquote> <p>I’ve spent more than three years interviewing friends for “The Friendship Files.” Here’s what I’ve learned. (<em>From 2022</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/06/six-ways-make-maintain-friends/661232/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/03/why-we-lose-friends-aging-happiness/621305/?utm_source=feed"><b>It’s your friends who break your heart</b></a>: The older we get, the more we need our friends—and the harder it is to keep them, Jennifer Senior wrote in 2022.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2023/06/long-standing-friendships-value-assumptions/674486/?utm_source=feed"><b>“Dear Therapist: I’ve been dumped by my friends”</b></a>: “I thought our shared history would keep us close, but it hasn’t,” a reader wrote to Lori Gottlieb in 2023.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/happiness-confidence-grandness-humility/684988/?utm_source=feed">To get happier, make yourself smaller.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/11/wicked-for-good-movie-review/685003/?utm_source=feed">The <i>Wicked</i> bubble has burst.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2025/11/thc-marijuana-hemp-loophole/685016/?utm_source=feed">Pour one out for weed seltzer.</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="A pink sunset over the water" height="3000" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/11/20250929_190610Inlet/original.jpg" width="4000"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Pnina Bright</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Pnina Bright, 72, shared this photo from Sag Harbor Cove in New York. “I walk my dog past this cove one or two times daily, and I’ve seen some remarkable sunsets from this view. This one astounded me and I haven’t stopped looking at it with amazement,” Bright writes.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p><p></p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedDario Mitidieri / Getty2025-11-22T10:26:00-05:002025-11-22T10:26:26-05:00

A “friendship breakup” isn’t always the answer.

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-684974<p><small><i>This is an edition of The</i> Atlantic<i> Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. </i><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/atlantic-daily/?utm_source=feed"><i>Sign up for it here.</i></a></small></p><p>“Keep your voice down.”</p><p>“That’s enough of you.”</p><p>“Be nice; don’t be threatening.”</p><p>“There was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”</p><p>“Quiet, piggy.”</p><p>This is a sampling of what the president of the United States has said to and about female journalists during his time in office—and most recently to Catherine Lucey, a White House correspondent for Bloomberg. On Friday on Air Force One, Lucey <a href="https://x.com/jenniferjjacobs/status/1989766778893832469?s=46">asked Donald Trump</a> about the Epstein files. He answered her first question, but when she followed up, the president bent his head down and pointed his finger, the way you might chastise a screaming child or shoo a stray cat. “Quiet. Quiet, piggy,” he said.</p><p>Lucey had clearly touched a nerve. Two days later, Trump announced that he would endorse <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2025/11/trump-epstein-files-allies-house-republicans-vote/684970/?utm_source=feed">the House’s vote</a> on the release of the Epstein files, likely because he knew that the House had the numbers to do so and would go forth with or without his support. But this category of remark is part of a long-running pattern for the president: Trump’s time in American politics has been marked by repeated attempts to insult and demean female journalists.</p><p>At the start of his first presidential campaign, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/history-donald-trump-megyn-kelly-feud/story?id=36526503">Megyn Kelly</a>, at the time a Fox News journalist, asked Trump at a primary debate about reports that he had referred to women as “fat pigs,” “dogs,” and “slobs.” Trump didn’t deny the accusation, and instead made a joke about how he said those sorts of things only about Rosie O’Donnell. Later, talking about the debate on CNN, Trump said of Kelly: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Kcx25WCg4">There was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever</a>.” And the president has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q7vxFSnILY">repeatedly insulted</a> Yamiche Alcindor, now a White House correspondent for NBC. At a press briefing about COVID-19 in 2020, Trump replied to her question about his prior statements on governors’ ventilator requests by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uWT_L58MGc">saying</a>, “That’s why you used to work for the <i>Times</i> and now you work for somebody else … Be nice; don’t be threatening.”</p><p>The president’s <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/donald-trump-hates-free-speech/680515/?utm_source=feed">vitriol</a> against those exercising their First Amendment rights is not limited to women. Today, during a White House visit with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the president said of the murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi that “a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman” and that “things happen,” suggesting the journalist may have deserved his killing. (In 2018, Saudi officials lured Khashoggi to Turkey and murdered him, dismembering his body with a bone saw.) At a 2024 campaign rally, he fantasized about <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/trump-fantasizes-about-reporters-being-shot/680514/?utm_source=feed">shooting journalists</a>. His comments to female reporters, however, have another through line: <i>Why can’t you just be silent like a woman should?</i></p><p>Trump has an even longer history of denigrating women more broadly. This is reportedly not the first time that he has used the word <i>piggy</i> to describe a woman. Alicia Machado, the winner of the 1996 Miss Universe pageant, has alleged that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/27/alicia-machado-miss-universe-weight-shame-trump-speaks-out-clinton">Trump</a> once called her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6BRnKnX4Hw">“Miss Piggy”</a> and made other demeaning comments about her weight. And the president’s longtime feud with O’Donnell has included much public sexism, including Trump calling her a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/story/rosie-odonnell-calls-donald-trump-pimp-on-her-blog-trump-fires-back-that-odonnell-is-big-fat-pig">“big, fat pig”</a> in 2006. (Most recently, the president has floated the prospect of revoking O’Donnell’s <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/07/trump-rosie-odonnell-citizenship-free-speech/683530/?utm_source=feed">American citizenship</a>, a move that legal experts say would be blatantly unconstitutional.) And this is just how Trump <i>talks </i>to women, leaving aside the many credible accusations of sexual abuse and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/25/trump-sexual-misconduct-allegations-timeline">misconduct</a> against him, which he has continued to deny.</p><p>When asked for comment about Trump’s remarks on Air Force One, a White House official told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/trump-calls-reporter-piggy-bloomberg"><i>The Guardian</i></a>, “This reporter behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way towards her colleagues on the plane … If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take.” The White House did not provide any evidence of inappropriate behavior. “Giving it” is doing one’s job, apparently, and “taking it” is being called a pig by the president for asking him a question.</p><p>If the president needs a political motive to treat women respectfully in public, he has one. This month’s elections saw <a href="https://cawp.rutgers.edu/news-media/press-releases/women-voters-power-democratic-wins-election-2025">high turnout</a> among women supporting Democratic candidates, and evidence suggests that <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2025/11/the-david-frum-show-sarah-longwell-2025-elections/684900/?utm_source=feed">young, highly educated women</a> are becoming more and more disgusted by the MAGA movement. But Americans should also hope that their leaders are guided by basic decency at the very least. “The United States is now a nation run by public servants who behave no better than internet trolls, deflecting criticism with crassness and obscenity,” my colleague <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/11/trump-maga-insults-trolling/684786/?utm_source=feed">Tom Nichols</a> wrote earlier this month. Trump’s sexist comments are an attack on women’s dignity—and by making them, he strips the presidency of its dignity too.</p><p><b>Related:</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/01/america-misogyny-gender-politics-trump/680753/?utm_source=feed">Misogyny comes roaring back.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/11/trump-maga-insults-trolling/684786/?utm_source=feed">Tom Nichols: A confederacy of toddlers</a></li> </ul><hr><p><strong>Here are three new stories from <i>The Atlantic</i>:</strong></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2025/11/trump-fundraising-ballroom/684963/?utm_source=feed">Trump’s eye-popping postelection windfall</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2025/11/trump-foreign-policy/684969/?utm_source=feed">What if “America First” appears to work?</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/favorite-statute-section-111-ice/684961/?utm_source=feed">The Trump administration’s favorite tool for criminalizing dissent</a></li> </ul><hr><p><strong>Today’s News</strong></p><ol> <li>The House passed a bill directing the Justice Department to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11/18/us/trump-epstein-files-news">release all of its Jeffrey Epstein–investigation files</a>, achieving near-unanimous support despite months of Republican efforts to avoid a vote. <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-says-house-republicans-vote-release-epstein-files-nothing-hide-rcna244293">Last night Trump said</a> that House Republicans should vote for the release, insisting, “We have nothing to hide.”</li> <li>Federal judges <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/18/federal-judges-block-new-texas-congressional-map-00656680">blocked Texas’s new congressional map</a>, calling it a race-based gerrymander. The ruling forces the state to use its map drawn in 2021, a major setback for Trump’s redistricting push.</li> <li>The Trump administration announced a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/us/politics/trump-education-department.html">plan to dismantle the Education Department</a>, shifting its programs to other federal agencies.</li> </ol><hr><p><strong>Evening Read</strong></p><figure><img alt="a female figure shown sleeping with people engaged in conversation in the background" height="1125" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/img/mt/2025/11/Atlantic_HR_Final_Morning_Person/original.jpg" width="2000"> <figcaption class="caption">Illustration by Isabella Cotier</figcaption> </figure><p>The Social Cost of Being a Morning Person</p><p><i>By Liz Krieger</i></p><blockquote> <p>As my wake-up time has inched earlier, I’ve written more, exercised more consistently, and been able to approach challenges with clarity, well before afternoon fatigue sets in.</p> <p>But every transformation comes with a price. And mine has been paid in evening hours—those crucial moments when families traditionally reconnect after a day apart, when teenagers may be more likely to open up, when friends gather and marriages deepen in the comfortable darkness after responsibilities have been met. I have become a person who gives the best of herself to the morning and offers only the dregs to the night.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/11/morning-routine-productivity-culture-hidden-cost/684965/?utm_source=feed">Read the full article.</a></p><p></p><p><b>More From <em>The Atlantic</em></b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/11/peak-advent-calendar/684971/?utm_source=feed">Advent calendars are totally out of control.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2025/11/infant-formula-botulism-outbreak/684967/?utm_source=feed">America has a baby-formula problem—again.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/11/elon-musk-tesla-optimus/684968/?utm_source=feed">Tesla wants to build a robot army.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/11/amtrak-train-holiday-travel/684940/?utm_source=feed">America is taking the train.</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>Culture Break</b></p><figure><img alt="Two friends drinking coffee and chatting" height="540" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/11/original-1/original.jpg" width="960"> <figcaption class="caption">Illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani / The Atlantic</figcaption> </figure><p><b>Explore. </b>Can you cheat at conversations? A new AI tool promises to improve social interactions <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/11/cluely-ai-cheat-everything/684913/?utm_source=feed">but instead makes them worse</a>, Julie Beck writes.</p><p><b>Watch. </b>In September, Shirley Li <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/09/best-movies-2025-preview-toronto-international-film-festival/684287/?utm_source=feed">recommended the most exciting films</a> heading to theaters through the end of the year—some of which are out now.</p><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/free-daily-crossword-puzzle/?utm_source=feed">Play our daily crossword.</a></p><hr><p><small><em><a href="https://link.theatlantic.com/click/29767897.0/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlYXRsYW50aWMuY29tL25ld3NsZXR0ZXJzLz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249YXRsYW50aWMtZGFpbHktbmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fY29udGVudD0yMDIyMTEyMQ/61813432e16c7128e42f4628B52865c35">Explore all of our newsletters here.</a></em></small></p><p><small><i>Rafaela Jinich </i><i>contributed to this newsletter.</i></small></p><p><small><em>When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting </em>The Atlantic<em>.</em></small></p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedRoberto Schmidt / Getty2025-11-18T18:40:00-05:002025-11-18T18:53:35-05:00

The comment continues the president’s long-standing pattern of denigrating female journalists.

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-684941<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>The kayaker who went missing—and stayed missing for so long that rescue teams were at a loss. The seemingly perfect man who conned women—and was brought to justice by his own victims. The following stories pack a double punch, starting with a mysterious circumstance and tracing the story to places unknown and unexpected. Today, sit back and explore five gripping reads that aren’t what they seem.</p><p>The Missing Kayaker</p><p><i>By Jamie Thompson</i></p><blockquote> <p>What happened to Ryan Borgwardt?</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2025/12/wisconsin-kayaker-ryan-borgwardt-death/684631/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Perfect Man Who Wasn’t</p><p><i>By Rachel Monroe</i></p><blockquote> <p>For years, he used fake identities to charm women out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Then his victims banded together to take him down. (<em>From 2018</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/04/our-time-com-con-man/554057/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Con Man Who Became a True-Crime Writer</p><p><i>By Rachel Monroe</i></p><blockquote> <p>In his old life, Matthew Cox told stories to scam his way into millions of dollars. Now he’s trying to make it by selling tales that are true. (<em>From 2019</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/08/matthew-cox-true-crime/592798/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/02/sports-memorabilia-heist-yogi-berra-world-series-rings/681093/?utm_source=feed"><b>They stole Yogi Berra’s World Series rings. Then they did something truly crazy.</b></a> The childhood friends behind the most audacious string of sports-memorabilia heists in American history</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/07/the-unbelievable-tale-of-jesus-wife/485573/?utm_source=feed"><b>The unbelievable tale of Jesus’s wife</b></a><b>:</b> A hotly contested, supposedly ancient manuscript suggests Christ was married. But believing its origin story—a real-life <i>Da Vinci Code</i>, involving a Harvard professor, a onetime Florida pornographer, and an escape from East Germany—requires a big leap of faith.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/11/naked-locker-room-end/684907/?utm_source=feed">The end of naked locker rooms</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/11/hotel-room-cancellation-policy/684917/?utm_source=feed">Why hotel-room cancellations disappeared </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/nighttime-routine-happiness-sleep/684897/?utm_source=feed">An evening ritual to realize a happier life</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>PS</b></p><figure><img alt="A blue sky with the moon visible with a halo around it" height="1314" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/11/Screenshot_2025_11_15_at_9.40.01AM/original.png" width="2174"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Charles H.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Charles H., 68, from Hot Springs, Arkansas, shared this photo from “early in the morning in August 2025 as I was leaving Guymon, Okla., driving through the Okla. panhandle to hike Black Mesa. Shots of the moon never seem to capture the awe, but I took this photo anyhow and was surprised later to see the halo of a cloud.”</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedPauline Lewis / Getty2025-11-15T09:55:00-05:002025-11-15T10:03:08-05:00

A reading list of twisted tales and unraveled mysteries

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-684869<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>Some critics of the suburbs argue that they’re not a place at all. “The anthropologist Marc Augé coined the term <i>non-places</i> to describe interchangeable, impersonal spaces lacking in history and culture that people pass through quickly and anonymously,” Julie Beck wrote last year. The highways and chain stores of suburbs such as the ones Beck grew up in can often feel that way. But suburbs have identities, and they leave their mark on people’s lives, Beck notes: “Where there is life, there is connection and emotion. Where there is connection and emotion, nostalgia follows.”</p><p>America’s suburbs have evolved: Once known for segregation, they are now more diverse than ever, Beck writes. But suburban life is prone to its own dynamics of racial and socioeconomic disparity, mirroring the gaps that have become clearer and clearer in America’s cities. Today’s newsletter explores the nostalgia, the dream, and the failures of the suburbs.</p><p>American Suburbs Have a Financial Secret</p><p><i>By Michael Waters</i></p><blockquote> <p>Municipal bonds have become an unavoidable part of local governance—and their costs divide rich towns from poor ones.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/11/cracked-foundations-municipal-debt-bonds-suburbs/684838/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Liberal Suburbs Have Their Own Border Wall</p><p><i>By Richard D. Kahlenberg</i></p><blockquote> <p>Residents of rich blue towns talk about inclusion, but their laws do the opposite.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/07/wealthy-liberal-suburbs-economic-segregation-scarsdale/674792/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>What the Suburb Haters Don’t Understand</p><p><i>By Julie Beck</i></p><blockquote> <p>The homogeneity of the suburbs has an upside: If strip malls and subdivisions remind you of home, you can feel nostalgic almost anywhere.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/04/nostalgia-nowhere-suburbs-strip-malls-subdivisions-community/677939/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/06/pandemic-suburbs-are-best/613300/?utm_source=feed"><b>Revenge of the suburbs</b></a><b>:</b> Suburbia was never as bad as anyone said it was. Now it’s looking even better, Ian Bogost wrote in 2020.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2024/01/benjamin-herold-disillusioned-suburbs/677229/?utm_source=feed"><b>The suburbs have become a Ponzi scheme</b></a><b>:</b> A book looks at how white families depleted the resources of the suburbs and left more recent Black and Latino residents “holding the bag,” Alex Kotlowitz wrote in 2024.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/11/it-takes-a-village/684835/?utm_source=feed">The most useless piece of parenting advice </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/paul-mccartney-aging-love/684820/?utm_source=feed">Three rules for a lasting happy marriage</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/11/fashion-diaper-pantsless-trend/684814/?utm_source=feed">The pantsless trend reaches its logical conclusion.</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>P.S.</b></p><figure><img alt="Monarch butterfly" height="1568" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/11/Screenshot_2025_11_07_at_7.29.23_PM/original.png" width="2358"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Cynthia C.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “Every fall, millions of monarch butterflies travel several thousand miles from Canada to California and Mexico,” Cynthia C., 69, from Laguna Woods, California, writes. “I am in awe of how these delicate creatures can survive what has to be a perilous journey.”</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedJakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty2025-11-08T09:00:00-05:002025-11-08T09:00:56-05:00

They’re more diverse than ever, but they remain the sites of deep racial and socioeconomic gaps.

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-684704<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>Why have Americans clung so hard to the dream of a fancy wedding? Hanna Rosin asked Xochitl Gonzalez, our staff writer who used to be a luxury-wedding planner, this question on the <i>Radio Atlantic</i> podcast in 2023. “We’ve let go of so many ‘middle-class American aspirations,’ but we haven’t been able to let go of the wedding,” Xochitl noted. “People have given up on college, and I don’t think that they want to give up on weddings.”</p><p>Social media has expanded the expectations of weddings and the thrill of being the center of attention for a day. And as couples strive to keep up with cultural perceptions and their friends’ lives, they can end up putting financial and logistical strain on their guests and their bridal parties (in what my colleague Annie Joy Williams recently called bridesmaid inflation). Today’s newsletter explores wedding sprawl and all the people it can affect.</p><p><strong>On Wedding Sprawl</strong></p><p>Bridesmaid Inflation</p><p><i>By Annie Joy Williams</i></p><p>Why are we making those we love most suffer for our weddings?</p><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/bridesmaid-inflation-weddings-brides-finances/684668/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Fake Poor Bride</p><p><i>By Xochitl Gonzalez</i></p><p>Confessions of a wedding planner (<em>From 2023</em>)</p><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/07/luxury-wedding-planners-industrial-complex-cost/674169/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Why Can’t We Quit Weddings?</p><p><em>By Hanna Rosin</em></p><p>Marriages aren’t what they used to be. So why are weddings ever more wedding-like and deluxe?</p><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2023/07/why-cant-we-quit-weddings/674772/?utm_source=feed">Listen.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/06/plus-one-wedding-etiquette-drama/678701/?utm_source=feed"><b>It’s time to stop inviting plus ones to weddings</b></a>: Extra guests are expensive, Faith Hill wrote last year. What if we did away with them?</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/06/help-requesting-receiving-awkward/683293/?utm_source=feed"><b>A wedding reveals how much help is really available to you</b></a>: Big life moments offer permission to ask for assistance. You should seize it, Julie Beck writes.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/10/books-briefing-thrill-great-sports-book/684686/?utm_source=feed">The thrill of a great sports book</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/praise-louvre-heist/684677/?utm_source=feed">Caity Weaver: The Louvre heist is terrific</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/10/springsteen-deliver-me-from-nowhere-review/684670/?utm_source=feed">What Hollywood gets wrong about Springsteen</a></li> </ul>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedSilas Stein / Picture Alliance via Getty2025-10-25T09:43:00-04:002025-10-25T09:53:11-04:00

In striving to keep up with societal expectations, couples can end up putting financial strain on others.

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-684537<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>Regret, my colleague Julie Beck wrote in 2016, is “the emotional price we pay for free will.” If we were just pawns tossed around on the chessboard of life, she explains, there’d be nothing to regret. Most of us would probably take that trade-off: Better to make mistakes than to have no control at all. But even so, none of us <i>enjoys</i> the experience of regret.</p><p>Looking backwards can be an act of desperate refusal to accept the passage of time: <i>What if? If only</i>.<i> I should’ve</i>.<i> I could’ve</i>. But maybe there’s a way to make regret less about the past—by giving in to those feelings of sadness or disappointment or guilt, just for a little while, we might learn something new about ourselves right now, in the present.</p><p><strong>On Regret</strong></p><p>The Problem With ‘No Regrets’</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>If you never pine for a different past, you’ll stay trapped in a cycle of mistakes. (<em>From 2022</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/02/no-regrets-learning-happiness/621458/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Dear Therapist’s Guide to Dealing With Regret</p><p><i>By Rebecca J. Rosen</i></p><blockquote> <p>Moving forward doesn’t mean leaving the past behind—it means figuring out how to make sense of it in the present. (<em>From 2021</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/03/dear-therapists-best-advice-regret/618152/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Regret Is the Price of Free Will</p><p><i>By Julie Beck</i></p><blockquote> <p>Feeling in control of your life is good for you, but it can also lead to heartbreak over mistakes and lost opportunities. (<em>From 2016</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/06/regret-is-the-price-of-free-will/486077/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/10/motherhood-women-priority-divorce-relationships/671792/?utm_source=feed"><b>“The only two choices I’ve ever made”</b></a><strong>:</strong> Honor Jones on the radical romance of motherhood, and how it changed the way she sees every other relationship. (<i>From 2022</i>)</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/05/midlife-crisis-choices-opportunities/638427/?utm_source=feed"><b>The two choices that keep a midlife crisis at bay</b></a><strong>:</strong> Middle age is an opportunity to find transcendence, Arthur C. Brooks wrote in 2022.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/10/taylor-swift-the-life-of-a-showgirl-sales-records-adele/684522/?utm_source=feed">Buy this album. Now buy it green.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/disagreement-benefits-groupthink-emerson/684490/?utm_source=feed">The happiness of choosing to walk alone </a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/11/revolutionary-war-historical-reenactment/684317/?utm_source=feed">You have no idea how hard it is to be a reenactor. </a></li> </ul>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedChung Sung-Jun / Getty2025-10-11T09:00:00-04:002025-10-15T08:39:02-04:00

Looking backwards doesn’t have to feel like standing still.

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-684458<p><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>One of my highlights of the past year has been receiving your weekly emails with photos that spark a sense of awe in the world around you. In reviewing your submissions, I’ve most enjoyed seeing how the beholder’s mind works. Sometimes it’s the subtle beauty of a scene or a moment that you all focus on—the mischievous look in the eye of a person or an animal rather than the stunning vista they might be standing in front of.</p><p>I find that same sense of personality and whimsy in so many of the photos that our editor Alan Taylor compiles. Today’s newsletter rounds up some of my favorites of his photo essays. I hope you enjoy scrolling through these scenes of natural life and human connection, both ordinary and extraordinary.</p><p><strong>Wondrous Imagery</strong></p><p>Weird, Wonderful Photos From the Archives</p><p><i>By Alan Taylor</i></p><blockquote> <p>A grab bag of curious and interesting historical images from the 20th century, depicting stunt diving, inventions, unusual war training, giant household objects, scenes from daily life, and much more</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/archive/2025/07/photo-archive-20th-century-inventions-images/683574/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Photos: The Colors of Fall</p><p><i>By Alan Taylor</i></p><blockquote> <p>As the days grow shorter and the nights become a bit chillier, animals are migrating and leaves are changing colors. Gathered below are some colorful early-autumn images from across the Northern Hemisphere.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/archive/2025/10/photos-colors-autumn/684425/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Colors of the World, Seen From the International Space Station</p><p><i>By Alan Taylor</i></p><blockquote> <p>Recent photographs from crew members aboard the ISS show some spectacular views of auroras, moonsets, the Milky Way, and more, seen from from their vantage point in orbit.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/archive/2025/08/colors-international-space-station/683844/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/archive/2025/07/ocean-marine-life-photography/683374/?utm_source=feed"><b>A photo appreciation of life in our oceans</b></a>: A collection of images showcasing some of the incredible marine biodiversity across our blue planet, compiled by Alan Taylor</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2025/04/photos-search-and-rescue-dogs/682265/?utm_source=feed"><b>Search-and-rescue dogs at work</b></a>: In April, Alan Taylor compiled images of some of these rescue dogs and their handlers, on the job and in training, from the past several years.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/10/taylor-swift-the-life-of-a-showgirl-album-review/684444/?utm_source=feed">Taylor Swift's fairy tale is over.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/10/college-rankings-were-once-a-shocking-experiment/684440/?utm_source=feed">College rankings were once a shocking experiment.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/ambigrams-words-double-meanings-art/684404/?utm_source=feed">“The esoteric art form that revealed a new kind of beauty to me”</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>P.S.</b></p><figure><img alt="dog staring at camera" height="398" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/10/Screenshot_2025_10_03_at_5.52.09PM/original.png" width="300"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Val M.</figcaption> </figure><p dir="ltr">I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Val M., 74, from Anchorage, Alaska, shared this photo of Skye, “who is so expressive and loving. You can see it in his eyes. He is a wonder! Dogs are amazing. I used to take one of my dogs to work, doing play therapy with children,” Val writes.</p><p dir="ltr">I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p dir="ltr">— Isabel</p><p></p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedRonald Dumont / Daily Express / GettyChad the goat peers over a gate and is flanked by a person's hands, at Chessington Zoo, in greater London, on July 15, 1970.2025-10-04T08:00:00-04:002025-10-04T09:14:34-04:00

Some images of life and connection

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-684392<p data-flatplan-paragraph="true"><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p>Judy Blume’s <i>Forever</i> wasn’t a book that most readers just stumbled upon. “Obtaining, hiding, and reading it—and then sharing it with others—was a rite of passage for many teens who came of age during and after the sexual revolution,” Anna Holmes writes of the teen novel. “Well-worn, dog-eared copies were passed around or hidden in closets, dresser drawers, and backpacks.”</p><p>Part of the appeal of the book, which was published 50 years ago this October, was its choice to depict sex from the perspective of the female protagonist—“sexuality was (and still is) rarely depicted in popular culture from a woman’s vantage point,” Holmes points out. For a young person, a novel like Blume’s was an invitation to imagine what life might be like someday. But perhaps more important, it was a chance to see their own desires and anxieties reflected back at them—to feel validated in the thoughts that can feel too scary to say out loud. Today’s newsletter explores the singular power of the art we discover as teens.</p><hr><p><strong>On Teen Novels</strong></p><p>The Classic Teen Novel I Still Haven’t Forgotten</p><p><i>By Anna Holmes</i></p><blockquote> <p>My secret first encounter with Judy Blume’s <em>Forever</em></p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/09/judy-blume-forever-50th-anniversary-teen-classic/684363/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Judy Blume Goes All the Way</p><p><i>By Amy Weiss-Meyer</i></p><blockquote> <p>A new generation discovers the poet laureate of puberty. (<em>From 2023</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/04/judy-blume-books-are-you-there-god-margaret-movie/673091/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Books We Read Too Late—And That You Should Read Now</p><p><i>By The Atlantic Culture Desk</i></p><blockquote> <p>One of the great, bittersweet pleasures of life is finishing a title and thinking about how it might have affected you—if only you’d found it sooner. (<em>From 2022</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/09/books-younger-selves-recommendations/671601/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2023/03/books-briefing-judy-blume-megan-abbott/673234/?utm_source=feed"><b>The importance of the coming-of-age novel</b></a><b>:</b> The transitions from child to teenager and teenager to adult are full of triumphs and struggles, Elise Hannum wrote in 2023.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/09/adrienne-salinger-teenagers-in-their-bedrooms/683567/?utm_source=feed"><b>No parents allowed</b></a><b>:</b> In the 1980s and ’90s, Adrienne Salinger photographed teenagers in their bedrooms. Her images recall an era before smartphones and social media, when you constructed your identity on the walls of your room.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/09/ryder-cup-golf-noise/684385/?utm_source=feed">Golf’s very loud weekend</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/09/geese-getting-killed-album-review/684380/?utm_source=feed">Finally, a new idea in rock and roll</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/09/allen-louis-ginsberg-poet-buffoon/684370/?utm_source=feed">Allen Ginsberg, great American poet-buffoon</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>P.S.</b></p><figure><img alt="The Hopewell Rocks" height="960" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/09/927WR/original.jpg" width="1280"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Maureen T</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Maureen T., 75, from Toronto, Canada, shared these photos of the Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy, in New Brunswick, Canada.</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedBarbara Alper / Getty2025-09-27T11:09:00-04:002025-09-27T12:00:12-04:00

These books can help young people come to terms with the thoughts that feel too scary to say out loud.

tag:theatlantic.com,2025:50-684283<p><small><em>This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. <a data-event-element="inline link" data-gtm-vis-first-on-screen31117857_899="425" data-gtm-vis-has-fired31117857_899="1" data-gtm-vis-total-visible-time31117857_899="100" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/the-wonder-reader/?utm_source=feed">Sign up here</a> to get it every Saturday morning.</em></small></p><p dir="ltr">Good news: If you’re worried you might be a phony, there’s a good chance you’re the real deal. “The <em>true</em> phony is convinced they’re not one,” Arthur C. Brooks explained earlier this summer. But no matter what the facts, your experiences, or other people tell you, it can be hard to believe that your own talents and strengths are genuine. Brooks lists a few ways to beat the strong pull of impostor syndrome, starting with an important one: Don’t talk to yourself like someone you hate.</p><p>Today’s newsletter explores how to be honest with yourself—and, by extension, with other people.</p><p><strong>On Honesty</strong></p><p>How to Know You’re Not a Phony</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>Impostor syndrome can certainly harm your happiness. Here are three ways to get over it.</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/07/three-ways-stop-impostor-syndrome/683657/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>The Club Where You Bare Your Soul to Strangers</p><p><i>By Taylor Prewitt</i></p><blockquote> <p>An evening with the “authentic-relating” movement, playing games designed to build intimacy (<em>From 2017</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/11/the-club-where-you-bare-your-soul-to-strangers/545786/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><p>Quit Lying to Yourself</p><p><i>By Arthur C. Brooks</i></p><blockquote> <p>Real happiness starts with telling yourself the truth, even when it hurts. (<em>From 2021</em>)</p> </blockquote><p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/11/self-deception-honesty-lying/620739/?utm_source=feed">Read the article.</a></p><hr><p><b>Still Curious?</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/03/how-to-spot-a-liar/618425/?utm_source=feed"><b>You’ve been lied to about lying</b></a><b>:</b> The conventional wisdom about how to spot a liar is all wrong.</li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/08/radical-honesty-as-act-of-love/671175/?utm_source=feed"><b>Honesty is love</b></a><b>:</b> Sharing hard truths might be uncomfortable, but it’s a surer route to happiness than hiding them, Arthur C. Brooks wrote in 2022.</li> </ul><hr><p><b>Other Diversions</b></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/09/robert-redford-films-winning/684263/?utm_source=feed">What Robert Redford knew about winning</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/09/one-battle-after-another-movie-review/684262/?utm_source=feed">A movie that touches one raw nerve after another</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/archive/2025/09/winners-of-the-ocean-photographer-of-the-year-2025/684243/?utm_source=feed">The winners of Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025</a></li> </ul><hr><p><b>P.S.</b></p><figure><img alt="hawk in tree" height="395" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/media/newsletters/2025/09/unnamed-1/original.jpg" width="298"> <figcaption class="caption">Courtesy of Becky L.</figcaption> </figure><p>I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. “Bird watching, in our backyard and while traveling, never fails to instill a sense of wonder in me,” Becky L., 54, from Santa Fe, New Mexico, writes. “Such beautiful creatures capable of vast migrations and aerial acrobatics! Recently, on a hike with our son in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in our new home of Santa Fe, we watched a young Cooper’s hawk alight on a tree right above us as it stalked something nearby.”</p><p>I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks.</p><p>— Isabel</p>Isabel Fattalhttp://www.theatlantic.com/author/isabel-fattal/?utm_source=feedMartin Barraud / Getty2025-09-20T09:00:00-04:002025-09-20T12:42:23-04:00

It starts with a simple but very important step.