Biography

The Travails of Emmanuel Macron

The Travails of Emmanuel Macron The Travails of Emmanuel Macron

A new book equates the French president's rise to a revolution. For much of France’s working and middle classes, it has been nothing short of a disaster.

Apr 1, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Cole Stangler

Rediscovering Nelson Algren

Rediscovering Nelson Algren Rediscovering Nelson Algren

The literary giant’s unique resonance in our anti-capitalist moment.

Mar 19, 2019 / Dan Simon

Jack Whitten’s Journals Are a Future Classic of Art Writing

Jack Whitten’s Journals Are a Future Classic of Art Writing Jack Whitten’s Journals Are a Future Classic of Art Writing

Notes From the Woodshed, a recent collection of Jack Whitten’s journal entries and writings, give an invaluable peek into the artistic process.

Mar 19, 2019 / Barry Schwabsky

How to Be Critical of the Things You Love

How to Be Critical of the Things You Love How to Be Critical of the Things You Love

Poet and critic Hanif Abdurraqib’s new book on A Tribe Called Quest is also a consideration of what it means to be a music fan in 2019.

Feb 12, 2019 / Nawal Arjini

Eve Babitz’s Visions of Total Freedom

Eve Babitz’s Visions of Total Freedom Eve Babitz’s Visions of Total Freedom

A new biography of the legendary Los Angeles socialite tries to crack the code of her writing’s allure.

Feb 8, 2019 / Marie Solis

Sign of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The Dark Side of the Cult of Ruth Bader Ginsburg The Dark Side of the Cult of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Justice Ginsburg is an essential voice on the Supreme Court— but portraying her as a dissenter obscures the work of more radical women of color.

Jan 30, 2019 / Mari Uyehara

Reckoning With the Man Who Sold Architecture to the Masses

Reckoning With the Man Who Sold Architecture to the Masses Reckoning With the Man Who Sold Architecture to the Masses

A new biography explores how Philip Johnson’s career transformed architecture into the celebrity-obsessed and market-driven field it’s become. 

Jan 29, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Kate Wagner

The Long, Entwined History of America First and the American Dream

The Long, Entwined History of America First and the American Dream The Long, Entwined History of America First and the American Dream

A new history shows that these expressions were originally used in ways that are significantly different from our current understanding of them.

Nov 21, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Kevin M. Kruse

Zbigniew Brzezinski’s Cold War

Zbigniew Brzezinski’s Cold War Zbigniew Brzezinski’s Cold War

A new biography of Jimmy Carter’s national-security adviser attempts to place him among the pantheon of master foreign-policy strategists, but was he?

Nov 21, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Andrew J. Bacevich

Prison library

Shining a Light on Life Behind Bars Shining a Light on Life Behind Bars

In letters compiled by the American Prison Writing Archive, inmates share accounts of suicide, friendship, and solitary confinement.

Nov 12, 2018 / Ella Fassler

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