The Classics Everyone Should Read Today
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.
Eight Books to Comfort You When You’re Lonely
Reading may not be a salve for loneliness, but there’s nothing like the rush of being seen by literature.
What’s Wrong With Following a Recipe?
On recipes, spontaneity, and time: Your weekly guide to the best in books
Six Classic Books That Live Up to Their Reputation
These novels are lengthy, but they lavishly reward the time and effort you pour into them.
The Atlantic 10
The books that made us think the most this year
Seven Books That Will Make You Smarter
These titles do more than answer questions: They explain how the world moves and what moves it.
Science Fiction Got Surveillance All Wrong
Government scrutiny isn’t how it appears in 1984. To understand privacy, we’ll need to update our analogies.
What’s the One Book That Explains American Politics Today?
The Atlantic’s writers have chosen books to help you understand the stakes of the midterms.
Seven Books That Understand Your Grief
Reading alone can’t take away the pain, but prose can be part of one’s internal healing.
Six Books That Show No One Can Hurt You Like a Sibling
The unique feeling of sharing parents, or of growing up together, makes this relationship unlike any other.
You Can Read Any of These Short Novels in a Weekend
These books may be brief, but they use their limited word count to demonstrate the power of concision.