Books and Ideas

The Inner Life of American Communism

The Inner Life of American Communism The Inner Life of American Communism

Vivian Gornick’s and Jodi Dean’s books mine a lost history of comradeship, determination, and intimacy.

May 5, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Corey Robin

The Long Shadow of Cultural Anthropology

The Long Shadow of Cultural Anthropology The Long Shadow of Cultural Anthropology

Franz Boas, Margaret Mead, and their circle sought to show the fallacy of biological and physical difference, but they also created new forms of categorization that reinforced thei...

May 5, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

Sarah Broom’s New Orleans Saga

Sarah Broom’s New Orleans Saga Sarah Broom’s New Orleans Saga

In her new memoir, Broom reconstructs not only her family’s history in New Orleans but also the larger arc of black experience in the South.

May 5, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Lovia Gyarkye

Mary Gaitskill’s Art of Loneliness

Mary Gaitskill’s Art of Loneliness Mary Gaitskill’s Art of Loneliness

Through her portraits of solitude, Gaitskill forces us to recognize those moments of subtle connection.

May 5, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Maggie Doherty

How Should Unions Organize?

How Should Unions Organize? How Should Unions Organize?

In A Collective Bargain, Jane McAlevey makes the case for strike-ready unions and whole worker organizing. But in an age of globalized economies and climate change, is this enough?

May 5, 2020 / Books & the Arts / E. Tammy Kim

The Worlds of Edward Said

The Worlds of Edward Said The Worlds of Edward Said

An exile who made the world his home, Said infused his literary style with a cosmopolitan ease and his political commitments with a cosmopolitan ethics.

May 5, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Rashid Khalidi

One Damn Thing After Another

One Damn Thing After Another One Damn Thing After Another

The long roots of liberal democracy’s crisis.

May 5, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Jan-Werner Müller

Tom Tomorrow cartoon

Reopening America Is Only Safe in Trump’s Dreams Reopening America Is Only Safe in Trump’s Dreams

Someone bring Trump into reality.

May 5, 2020 / Tom Tomorrow

The Pandemic in Our Minds

The Pandemic in Our Minds The Pandemic in Our Minds

A classic horror movie reveals how authoritarianism and scapegoating flourish during a plague.

May 1, 2020 / Jeet Heer

Finding Humor When ‘Shit Is So Terrible’: A Conversation With Samantha Irby

Finding Humor When ‘Shit Is So Terrible’: A Conversation With Samantha Irby Finding Humor When ‘Shit Is So Terrible’: A Conversation With Samantha Irby

We talked to the writer and comedian about privacy, blogging, chronic illness, and how to actually enjoy social media.  

Apr 29, 2020 / Q&A / Rima Parikh

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