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.
What To Read
Books
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The Toll
A poem
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.
An Adaptation That’s Both ‘Excellent’ and ‘Bizarre’
Lincoln in the Bardo is a bold novel that has rightfully inspired inventive adaptations.
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.
A Better Way to Write About Sex
Works that question how we think about love and desire: Your weekly guide to the best in books
A New Way to Look at the Natural World
A defamiliarizing eclipse, a sunbathing cormorant, trees that sing, and more: Your weekly guide to the best in books
Talking to Strangers Is Good For You
We have much to learn from conversations with people we don’t know: Your weekly guide to the best in books
Why Childhood Friendships Feel So Intoxicating
Works that meditate on the intense bonds forged in our early years: Your weekly guide to the best in books
The Books Briefing: Comics Can Push—And Draw—Boundaries
See you in the funny pages: Your weekly guide to the best in books
The Books Briefing: The Essential Qualities of a Book
The case for and against e-readers: Your weekly guide to the best in books
The Books Briefing: A Better Way to Write About Crime
Works that critique police brutality, racism, and our obsession with true crime: Your weekly guide to the best in books
The Books Briefing: Boundaries Between Humans and Machines Are Vanishing
Works that consider the implications of a life so intimately tied with technology: Your weekly guide to the best in books
The Books Briefing: The Uneasy Place of Politics in Fiction
Sally Rooney’s novels have long been criticized as insufficiently political, but reconciling ideology and storytelling has always been a thorny issue for writers.
The Books Briefing: Language Can Build Community—Or Sow Division
Unique ways of communicating help families grow closer; they’re also a powerful tool for cults: Your weekly guide to the best in books