Why Authors Can’t Let Go of Greek Myths
The fascination with these stories reflects an existential interest in what in life is inevitable, and what we can control.
Book Review
What Dante Is Trying to Tell Us
A colloquial translation of Paradiso might make people actually read it.
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A Bizarre, Challenging Book More People Should Read
The true pleasure of literature can be found in demanding works such as Your Name Here, by Helen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff.
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America’s Schools Are Less Divided Than You Think
Teachers are generally much more concerned about doing right by their students than they are about angering parents and community members.
The Riot That Foretold an Unstable Future
In his newest book, Joe Sacco worries about what political violence might lead to.
What People Don’t Understand About Black Nationalism
The long-overlooked activist Audley Moore knew that achieving radical goals sometimes required cooperation and dexterity.
What History’s Fallen Societies Have in Common
A new book argues that civilizations built on centralized wealth and power contain the seeds of their own destruction.
The Germans Who Stood Up to Hitler
And the Germans who didn’t
The Great Mystery of Drumming
It’s about the flow of Time, not just keeping the beat.
The Culture War Comes to the Kitchen
How the politics of food brought together the crunchy left and the trad right