The Incredible Freedom of Not Trying to Look Good
A new book explores the benefits of accepting ugliness instead of trying to change it.
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Illustration by Weronika Marianna Five Books That Offer Readers Intellectual Exercise
Each of these titles exercises a different kind of reading muscle so that you can choose the one that will push you most.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: csa-archive / Getty When Realism Is More Powerful Than Science Fiction
In On Strike Against God, Joanna Russ imagined a freer world while confronting its inequities head-on.
Illustration by Tarini Sharma What the Author of Frankenstein Knew About Human Nature
An 1826 novel encourages people to practice humility in the face of nature’s awesome forces.
Illustration by Joanne Imperio / The Atlantic. Sources: Hulton Fine Art / Getty; The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Six Cult Classics You Have to Read
As word of mouth about a book spreads, it begins to spark with a special kind of electricity.
Illustration by Aaron Lowell Denton for The Atlantic Six Books to Read During a Stressful Family Holiday
Reading about other people’s kin, fictional or not, may help you feel better about yours.
Photo-illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani. Source: Getty. Six Books That Might Change How You Think About Mental Illness
These individual, honest narratives can help dislodge oversimplifications about mental health.
Illustration by Jared Bartman / The Atlantic. Sources: Heritage Images / Getty; Nikola Vukojevic / Getty; Philippe PACHE / Getty; Dan Cristian Pădureț / Unsplash; dpwk / Openverse; Annie Spratt / Unsplash. What to Read When You Want to Reimagine Family
These books offer a wide set of perspectives on what kinship can be, and on the endless ways we might create it.
Gabriela Herman / Gallery Stock Six Books That Feel Like Puzzles
These titles represent an eclectic mix of various styles and moods, but any one of them will be exactly right if you want a brainteaser.
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic Six Classic Books That Live Up to Their Reputation
These novels are lengthy, but they lavishly reward the time and effort you pour into them.
Tyler Comrie / The Atlantic
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