Books & the Arts

Zadie Smith’s Turn to Short Fiction

Zadie Smith’s Turn to Short Fiction Zadie Smith’s Turn to Short Fiction

In her first short story collection, the novelist and essayist offers us both cautionary tales and experimental riffs.

Oct 29, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Rumaan Alam

Jill Lepore’s Liberal Gospel

Jill Lepore’s Liberal Gospel Jill Lepore’s Liberal Gospel

Against a “postmodernism” that she claims suffuses left-wing and right-wing politics, the prolific historian and New Yorker staff writer makes her case for a liberal patriotism and...

Oct 29, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Immerwahr

The Promise of Pan-Africanism

The Promise of Pan-Africanism The Promise of Pan-Africanism

As much as it was an organized movement, Pan-Africanism was an ideal, culture, and lived experience that helped galvanize generations into action.

Oct 29, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Adom Getachew

What Is Living and What Is Dead in John Rawls’s Theory of Justice?

What Is Living and What Is Dead in John Rawls’s Theory of Justice? What Is Living and What Is Dead in John Rawls’s Theory of Justice?

With liberalism in crisis, contemporary political philosophy has taken on a funereal mood. But is there something still worth saving in the “high liberalism” of the 20th century?

Oct 29, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Seyla Benhabib

Whose Side Is Clarence Thomas On?

Whose Side Is Clarence Thomas On? Whose Side Is Clarence Thomas On?

A new book argues that the Supreme Court justice’s early embrace of black nationalism is central to understanding his politics and jurisprudence. But perhaps far better guides are ...

Oct 29, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Randall Kennedy

Jonathan Safran Foer and the Limits of Liberal Climate Politics

Jonathan Safran Foer and the Limits of Liberal Climate Politics Jonathan Safran Foer and the Limits of Liberal Climate Politics

Addressing climate change will take a whole lot more than changing our diets.

Oct 29, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Kate Aronoff

In ‘Succession,’ Who Is the Joke Really On?

In ‘Succession,’ Who Is the Joke Really On? In ‘Succession,’ Who Is the Joke Really On?

The show is heralded as a nuanced and cutting critique of the 1 percent. But whose side is it really on?

Oct 17, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

The Absurdist Imaginings of ‘Los Espookys’

The Absurdist Imaginings of ‘Los Espookys’ The Absurdist Imaginings of ‘Los Espookys’

An irreverent Spanish-speaking show was a step forward for HBO, but its first season fell short of pushing the boundaries of Latinx representation.

Oct 15, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Julyssa Lopez

How Silicon Valley Broke the Economy

How Silicon Valley Broke the Economy How Silicon Valley Broke the Economy

The question of how to fix the tech industry is now inseparable from the question of how to fix the system of capitalism that the late 20th century gave us.

Oct 14, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Adrian Chen

Ben Lerner’s Quandary

Ben Lerner’s Quandary Ben Lerner’s Quandary

The Topeka School captures the novelist at a crossroads between politics and aesthetics, fiction and poetry.

Oct 14, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Evan Kindley

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