Books & the Arts
The Politics of Speech on the American Campus The Politics of Speech on the American Campus
Freedom of speech on campuses has long been under attack, but now more than ever.
Sally Rooney’s Open Question Sally Rooney’s Open Question
In Intermezzo, we get characters acting out their political commitments instead of just talking about them. But is their vision of domestic cooperation enough?
The Apprenticeship of Donald Trump The Apprenticeship of Donald Trump
A new film examines Trump’s formative years under the tutelage of Roy Cohn.
The Rise and Fall of New York Clubbing The Rise and Fall of New York Clubbing
Emily Witt’s memoir of Brooklyn’s rave scene accomplishes something that even the cynical among us cannot deny: It will make you want to go dancing.
From the Magazine
Rachel Kushner’s Brilliant Avant-Garde Spy Thriller Rachel Kushner’s Brilliant Avant-Garde Spy Thriller
In Creation Lake, Kushner transforms the genre’s familiar plot twists and turns into a study of the many fictions we tell one another.
The Radical Past and Future of Debt Resistance The Radical Past and Future of Debt Resistance
The deep roots of debt relief activism in the United States.
Questlove’s Personal History of Hip-Hop Questlove’s Personal History of Hip-Hop
An elegiac retelling of rap’s origins, Hip-Hop Is History also ends with a sense of hope.
Literary Criticism
The Myths of Anne Carson The Myths of Anne Carson
Throughout her long and prolific career, Carson has specialized in unexpected juxtapositions between modern life and ancient times, contemporary art and the literature of the…
Danzy Senna’s Acerbic Satires of Art and Money Danzy Senna’s Acerbic Satires of Art and Money
Having gnawed away at literary and political conventions from within their hallowed forms, Senna has now set her eyes on Hollywood.
The Enduring Influence of Marx’s Masterpiece The Enduring Influence of Marx’s Masterpiece
No book has done more than Capital to explain the way the world works.
History & Politics
The Surprising Origins and Politics of Equality The Surprising Origins and Politics of Equality
A series of new books unearth the long history of egalitarian politics. They also ask whether equality, instead of another political ideal, should be at the center of our politics…
What Happened to the Democratic Majority? What Happened to the Democratic Majority?
Today the march of class dealignment feels like an inexorable fact of American political life. But is it?
The Intractable Puzzle of Growth The Intractable Puzzle of Growth
For more than a century, the key measure of a healthy economy has been its capacity to grow and yet if production and consumption continues to expand at their current rate we migh…
Art & Architecture
LaToya Ruby Frazier Rewrites the Rules of Documentary Photography LaToya Ruby Frazier Rewrites the Rules of Documentary Photography
A new career survey at the MoMA is a perfect illustration of the photographer’s mission: to reframe how viewers see the working-class and low-income people whom she counts as kin….
What’s the Deal With Manhattan’s Pencil-Thin High Rises? What’s the Deal With Manhattan’s Pencil-Thin High Rises?
A walk along 57th Street.
The Cosmopolitan Modernism of the Harlem Renaissance The Cosmopolitan Modernism of the Harlem Renaissance
A new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art explores the world-spanning art of the Harlem Renaissance.
Film & Television
The Ornery Intrigues of “Slow Horses” The Ornery Intrigues of “Slow Horses”
Emblematic of post–prestige television drama, AppleTV+’s spy thriller relies on the dyspeptic repartee and verbal sparring instead of sophisticated plot twists.
The Empty Promise of “Megalopolis” The Empty Promise of “Megalopolis”
Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited magnum opus is a flop.
The Rise of the Influencer Chefs The Rise of the Influencer Chefs
How a new generation of food TV on Tiktok and Instagram is remaking how we relate to cooking and eating.
Latest in Books & the Arts
Can New York’s Most Famous Street be Turned into a Park? Can New York’s Most Famous Street be Turned into a Park?
The effort to transform Broadway into a pedestrian space.
Oct 31, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Karrie Jacobs
“Industry”’s Gleeful Critique of Capital “Industry”’s Gleeful Critique of Capital
HBO’s investment banking drama makes a soap opera out of the “useless” but lurid nature of finance.
Oct 31, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi
Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Family Dramas Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Family Dramas
In her latest novel, Long Island Compromise, the novelist explores how a kidnapping transforms a suburban New York family.
Oct 30, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Erin Somers
Emily Oster and the Optimization of Parenting Emily Oster and the Optimization of Parenting
What gets lost when we approach pregnancy and raising children through data?
Oct 29, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Anna Louie Sussman
What No One Talks About When They Talk About Taiwan What No One Talks About When They Talk About Taiwan
In so many histories, writers so often ignore the social movements and underclass that helped define island nation’s destiny.
Oct 24, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Brian Hioe
Everything Visible and Invisible About the War on Terror Everything Visible and Invisible About the War on Terror
A conversation with Richard Beck about his new book, Homeland, and the profound consequences of America’s wars abroad on our polarized politics and our fractured way of life.
Oct 23, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Grayson Scott