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.
Fiction
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.
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.
City Visit
The other boys had slammed him against the lockers. Now, in New York, he could buy the experience he wanted.
Weightlifting for Catholics
Harry suddenly wanted to find God. His confessor, a renegade Dominican priest, had problems of his own.
Director's Cut
His mother's reappearance was bad enough. Even worse was the documentary she proposed to make.
Poor Devil
They were, sadly, splitting up and leaving the house they'd shared for eight years. Who knew where a kiss would take them?
The House on Kronenstrasse
Her mother's last words led to a place Christiane had fled as a child—and where truth lay concealed.
How We Avenged the Blums
We wanted to do battle with the local Anti-Semite. A school janitor offered commando training.
*BD* 11 1 86
He wondered what letters of recommendation his teachers were writing for him. What was in the confidential file locked away in the principal's office?
Florence of Arabia
How one woman (plus a disgraced Green Beret, a shameless PR lackey, and the wife of a sheikh) brought the Middle East to the brink of female emancipation. A short story
Mudlavia
A short story
Love Me
A short story