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.
The Confrontation That Broke New York
A new book sheds some light on the death of Jordan Neely and the trial that divided a post-pandemic city.
The Book Claiming to Teach Couples How to Select Their Baby’s Sex
The Babydust Method features advice debunked decades ago. Why have tens of thousands of people bought in?
Pinballing
A poem
Emily Wilson Can’t Let The Odyssey Go
The translator spoke about her desire to retranslate the epic—and her harsh review of the recent film.
The Books You Should Read About the Bomb
The more we know about the world’s most powerful weapons, the better our chances of containing them.
Hitler Could Have Been Stopped
Timothy W. Ryback explains the contemporary lessons of Hitler’s rise.
‘The Best Thing That Happened to Him Was Losing in 2020’
Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan explain how the four years between Donald Trump’s first and second terms changed the presidency.
Why the Bomb Is Bad for Democracy
A famous documentarian’s new book suggests that secrecy is a major impediment to sensible nuclear policy.
A Diagnosis for Social Conflict That Gets Lost Along the Way
A new book suggests that arguing isn’t about winning but seems preoccupied with it anyway.
What Comes After America
Emily St. John Mandel’s latest work of science fiction considers the tenuousness of any possible future.