Did the Constitution Pave the Way to Emancipation? Did the Constitution Pave the Way to Emancipation?
In his new book, The Crooked Path to Abolition, James Oakes argues that the Constitution was an antislavery document.
Oct 6, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Richard Kreitner
Anthony Veasna So’s Portraits of Diaspora Anthony Veasna So’s Portraits of Diaspora
His posthumous collection Afterparties is part of a new wave of writing on the cultural memory and historical traumas of Southeast Asian immigrants.
Oct 5, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Larissa Pham
The Expansive Feminism of Jacqueline Rose The Expansive Feminism of Jacqueline Rose
Rose’s latest book, On Violence and On Violence Against Women, is a rigorous and capacious study of contemporary gender politics and solidarity.
Oct 5, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Cora Currier
Eric Williams and the Tangled History of Capitalism and Slavery Eric Williams and the Tangled History of Capitalism and Slavery
The historian and politician helped transform how several generations understood 18th- and 19th-century history.
Oct 5, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Gerald Horne
Do We Need to Work? Do We Need to Work?
In Work: A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots, anthropologist James Suzman asks whether we might learn to live like our ancestors did—that is, to value free time...
Oct 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Benanav
Was Jimmy Carter an Outlier? Was Jimmy Carter an Outlier?
Politicians say things to get elected and then, once in office, do otherwise; that’s politics. But Carter demanded that we grade him on a curve.
Oct 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Rick Perlstein
Grace Cho’s Memoir of Food and Empire Grace Cho’s Memoir of Food and Empire
Intertwining a personal story of Korean food ways and a family history caught in the midst of violence, Tastes Like War tests the limits, and shows the power, of memoir.
Oct 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / E. Tammy Kim
Sally Rooney’s Fiction for End Times Sally Rooney’s Fiction for End Times
In her third novel, Rooney does more than just respond to critics; she surveys the wreckage of modern life.
Oct 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Tony Tulathimutte
A Novel Caught Between 2 Plagues A Novel Caught Between 2 Plagues
Looking at both the AIDS crisis and the Covid pandemic, Kate Zambreno’s To Write as if Already Dead grapples with how illness changes our conception of self.
Sep 29, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Jamie Hood
All Eyes on Lil Nas X All Eyes on Lil Nas X
His debut album, Montero, is attuned to the spectacle of celebrity, but doesn’t cohere into compelling music.
Sep 28, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse