How American Girl Doll Lost Its Way
At 40, the brand faces a midlife crisis.
Books
Introducing The Atlantic’s expanded books coverage: essays, criticism, fiction, poetry, and recommendations from our writers and editors
Democrats Are Sounding More Like Republicans
Why politicians are betting on ever more moralizing language
Celebrity Has Become a Jobs Program
A new book by the hosts of Who? Weekly scrutinizes how social media democratized fame.
A Forgotten Fix for American Racial Strife
Harold Cruse had a prescient understanding of why social movements stumble—and how they might find more success.
The Paradox of African Writing and AI
A past winner of the Caine Prize draws a hard lesson from the controversy over its latest recipient.
What To Read
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50 Unforgettable Love Stories
Centuries of joyous, tragic, tantalizing, enduring fiction
Six Hard-to-Find Books Worth Reading
These titles are no longer fashionable, if they ever were—but should you manage to read one, you might love it.
What to Read to Wake Up Your Brain
These books can ease readers into a season of work and hard thinking.
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Six Books That Take You to Space
You won’t even have to leave your couch.
Newsletter
The Books Briefing
Our culture editors’ weekly guide to the best in books.
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Fiction
See All
The Guardians
A short story
Disunion
A short story
I Heard You Singing
A short story
The Wisdom of Holden Caulfield
Beneath all the alienation, The Catcher in the Rye, which turns 75 this year, has a surprisingly hopeful—and ethical—outlook.
It’s Spooky Season. Time to Read … Romance?
The rise of the sexy-cozy autumn read
The Best Kind of Book Adaptation
A new opera based on George Saunders’s novel Lincoln in the Bardo makes some fantastically shocking choices.
How American Girl Doll Lost Its Way
At 40, the brand faces a midlife crisis.
Democrats Are Sounding More Like Republicans
Why politicians are betting on ever more moralizing language
Peeling the Orange
A poem
The Greek Island That Taught Me the Art of Living
Chronicling the disappearance of the old ways in a village where I was raised
Celebrity Has Become a Jobs Program
A new book by the hosts of Who? Weekly scrutinizes how social media democratized fame.
A Forgotten Fix for American Racial Strife
Harold Cruse had a prescient understanding of why social movements stumble—and how they might find more success.
The Paradox of African Writing and AI
A past winner of the Caine Prize draws a hard lesson from the controversy over its latest recipient.
Stop Trying to Be Your Best Self
A new book argues that being sort of confident is enough.