Books & the Arts

Jock the monkey listens in on the Scopes trial, 1923.

The Scopes Trial and the Two Visions of US Democracy The Scopes Trial and the Two Visions of US Democracy

A new history revisits “the Trial of the Century” and its legacy in contemporary politics.

Sep 30, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Michael Kazin

A crowd outside Minneapolis’s Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank during an economic crisis in May 1893.

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.

Sep 25, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Astra Taylor

Sally Rooney’s Open Question

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?

Sep 24, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jess Bergman

The Myrtle-Broadway subway station in Brooklyn, 2024.

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.

Sep 23, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kevin Lozano

Jeremy O. Harris

The Extravagant Enigma of Jeremy O. Harris The Extravagant Enigma of Jeremy O. Harris

An eccentric HBO documentary on the production of his hot-button play Slave Play doubles as a funhouse portrait of the playwright.

Sep 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Tiana Reid

Former general and Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo during his trial.

The Hypocrisies of International Justice The Hypocrisies of International Justice

A recent history revisits the Tokyo trial.

Sep 18, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Colin Jones

The Brooklyn Potluck That Helped Black Literature Flourish

The Brooklyn Potluck That Helped Black Literature Flourish The Brooklyn Potluck That Helped Black Literature Flourish

In Courtney Thorsson's cultural history The Sisterhood, she details how intimate gatherings played a role in the golden age of Black women's writing.

Sep 17, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Marina Magloire

Gary Oldman, Rosalind Eleazar, and Dustin Demri-Burns in “Slow Horses.”

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.

Sep 16, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

A man and a woman choose from an array of credit cards and dollar banknotes, 1979.

The Age of Public Austerity and Private Luxury The Age of Public Austerity and Private Luxury

A conversation with Melinda Cooper about the recent history of neoliberalism and her new book Counterrevolution: Extravagance and Austerity in Public Finance.

Sep 12, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins and Kate Yoon

How Historical Fiction Redefined the Literary Canon

How Historical Fiction Redefined the Literary Canon How Historical Fiction Redefined the Literary Canon

In contemporary publishing, novels fixated on the past rather than the present have garnered the most attention and prestige.

Sep 11, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Alexander Manshel

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