Books & the Arts
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?
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.
From the Magazine
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
Latest in Books & the Arts
The Perils of a Post-Racial Utopia The Perils of a Post-Racial Utopia
In Nicola Yoon’s One of Our Kind, a dystopian novel of a Black upper-class suburb’s secrets, she examines the dangers of choosing exceptionalism over equality.
Nov 21, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse
Why Americans Are Obsessed With Poor Posture Why Americans Are Obsessed With Poor Posture
A recent history of the 20th-century movement to fix slouching questions the moral and political dimensions of addressing bad backs over wider public health concerns.
Nov 20, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Zoe Adams
Slavery in an Age of Emancipation Slavery in an Age of Emancipation
Robin Blackburn’s sweeping history of slavery and freedom in the 19th century.
Nov 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Manisha Sinha
Thomas Müntzer’s Misunderstood Revolution Thomas Müntzer’s Misunderstood Revolution
A recent biography of the German preacher and leader of the Peasants’s War examines what remains radical about the short-lived rebellion he led.
Nov 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Matt Broomfield
Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI Play? Is It Possible to Suspend Disbelief at Ayad Akhtar’s AI Play?
The Robert Downey Jr.–starring McNeal, which was possibly cowritten with the help of AI, is a showcase for the new technology’s mediocrity.
Nov 14, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Rhoda Feng
Possibility, Force, and BDSM: A Conversation With Chris Kraus and Anna Poletti Possibility, Force, and BDSM: A Conversation With Chris Kraus and Anna Poletti
The two writers discuss the challenges of writing about sex, loneliness, and the new ways novels can tackle BDSM.
Nov 13, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Chris Kraus