Forget Grit
Even the luminaries of the self-help genre have begun to recognize how little in life we can actually control.
Books
Introducing The Atlantic’s expanded books coverage: essays, criticism, fiction, poetry, and recommendations from our writers and editors
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
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.
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.
A Free-Speech Meltdown
PEN America’s president resigned over an article detailing the isolation and exclusion that many Israeli and Jewish writers feel after October 7.
What The Catcher in the Rye Taught a Teenage Girl
J. D. Salinger’s classic novel of teen alienation made me feel more connected to the world.
Can Tennis Survive Its New Golden Age?
The next generation of elite players has arrived. On the court, they are delivering astonishing play. Off the court, they aren’t entirely happy.
The Literary Genre That Thrives in Hard Times
Jordan Harper’s new novel proves noir can still channel the crises and neuroses of the moment.
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.
From Idaho B Roll
A poem
The ‘Have It Both Ways’ Theory of Great Books
Many literary classics have a way of appealing to our lizard brains while making us question why we're so compelled by them.
A Twist in This Year’s Strangest Literary AI Scandal
Jamir Nazir, the controversial winner of the Commonwealth award, tells his side of the story.