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
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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.
How Theory Took Over the World
The French writers of the postwar era argued that the author’s life is irrelevant. Emily Eakin’s lively new book proves them wrong.
What if Freud Was Right?
A neuroscientist dares to argue that old-fashioned psychoanalysis holds the key to curing mental illness.
Out Here
A view of America from its most exposed citizens
Kafka’s Most Entertaining Stories
The animal narrators in these works teach us something funny about human beings.
Why Animal Narrators Are All the Rage
A new novel helps explain why so many storytellers enlist animal narrators to explore humanity.
The Revelatory Cringe of Anthony Fauci
The private notes of the man who oversaw COVID policy are deeply embarrassing—and surprisingly instructive.
Independence Day
A poem
The Most Interesting Part of Your Life
Forget starting over. In Valeria Luiselli’s new novel, it’s the messy middle of life that counts.
The Bible Belongs in the Classroom
Everywhere you look in American history, you will find the language, stories, and concepts from the Old and New Testaments.
What Truly Imaginative Fiction Can Do
Can a novel capture the shock of planetary instability?