The Time is Right for a ‘Great Books’ Revival
To build a better world in the age of AI, students need grounding in indispensable ideas.
Books
Introducing The Atlantic’s expanded books coverage: essays, criticism, fiction, poetry, and recommendations from our writers and editors
He Was Hugely Influential. He Also Had a Foolish Streak.
A recent biography of the writer John Berger reminds us about his hefty influence—and how he could be blinkered by his convictions.
Forget Grit
Even the luminaries of the self-help genre have begun to recognize how little in life we can actually control.
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
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
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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.
The Defiance of Marjane Satrapi
The author of the best-selling graphic memoir Persepolis, who died last week, made rebellion into a lifelong project.
The Two Kinds of American Patriotism
As our nation turns 250, it’s worth asking how best to love one’s country.
The Road Wound Upward
A poem
What Dogs See That We Can’t
Consciousness separates us from machines. Need convincing? Just take a good look at a faithful canine.
The Vicious Beating That Reshaped America
Two books about the 1856 caning of a senator show how words can incite violence—and also help defeat it.
How to Save Marriage
To find a future for the institution, we need to accurately account for its wildly varying past.
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What to Read to Really Understand Music
These memoirs, primers, and histories make up a captivating syllabus that will help explain what you hear.
Where Dogs Go On With Their Doggy Life
Why are there so many canines in fine art?
The Art of the Joyful Tearjerker
A new novel by the Hamnet author Maggie O’Farrell showcases her genius for infusing painful stories with flashes of pure bliss.
The Plight of the Radical’s Children
A new novel by Harriet Clark, the daughter of a jailed revolutionary, shows that rigid ideology is no match for the humanizing presence of a child.