The Life of the Mind Can Only Get You So Far
Michelle de Kretser’s intellectual coming-of-age explores the fissures between one’s ideals and reality.
Book Review
The Last Great Yiddish Novel
Chaim Grade’s Sons and Daughters rescues a destroyed world.
The Rise of the Brown v. Board of Education Skeptics
Why some mainstream Black intellectuals are giving up on the landmark decision
An Unabashedly Intellectual Murder Mystery
Cristina Rivera Garza’s newly translated novel evokes a mixture of numbness and anxiety in the face of incessant violence.
The Man Who Owned 181 Renoirs
Albert Barnes believed in the liberating power of art—but you had to look at it his way.
The World Can’t Keep Up With Its Garbage
Trash dumping is taking a devastating environmental toll—especially on poorer countries.
The Island Nation Whose History Reflects America’s
Rich Benjamin’s new book reveals a shared spirit between the world’s first Black republic and the United States.
A Divorce Memoir With No Lessons
Haley Mlotek’s new book provides neither catharsis nor remedies for heartache, but rather a tender exploration of human intimacy.
When Robert Frost Was Bad
Before he became America’s most famous poet, he wrote some real howlers.
A Revelatory Way of Understanding the Black Experience
Imani Perry’s latest book examines the intersections between the color blue and the history of her people.