Books and Ideas

The Myth of Nationalism Is the Scariest Thing of All

The Myth of Nationalism Is the Scariest Thing of All The Myth of Nationalism Is the Scariest Thing of All

Sarah Moss’s haunting new novel Ghost Wall looks at the evil that lurks behind the stories we tell ourselves about borders and ancestral origins.

Feb 13, 2019 / Emma Hager

Hearing the Trauma You Can’t See

Hearing the Trauma You Can’t See Hearing the Trauma You Can’t See

Kevin Beasley’s new Whitney show, built around a massive, whirring cotton-gin motor, argues for a new way to listen to the horror and beauty of history.

Feb 13, 2019 / Tiana Reid

Pete Buttigieg

What a Midwestern Presidential Candidate Learned From Marxist Intellectuals What a Midwestern Presidential Candidate Learned From Marxist Intellectuals

Pete Buttigieg’s father was a Gramsci scholar—but he taught his son more about ethics than revolution.

Feb 12, 2019 / Sara Marcus

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

Tom Tomorrow cartoon

An Honest, Good-Faith Medicare-for-All Debate An Honest, Good-Faith Medicare-for-All Debate

Just kidding!

Feb 12, 2019 / Tom Tomorrow

A Style Guide for the 1 Percent

A Style Guide for the 1 Percent A Style Guide for the 1 Percent

The new grammar and usage handbook by Benjamin Dreyer, Twitter’s premier grammarian, reinforces an elitist view of writing and language.

Feb 11, 2019 / Kyle Paoletta

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

Howard Schultz is the coffee man.

Howard Schultz May Run for President Howard Schultz May Run for President

The Democrats have welcomed Schultz As warmly as they might Darth Vader. It’s odd: A centrist billionaire Can look exactly like Ralph Nader.

Feb 7, 2019 / Column / Calvin Trillin

The Weight and Power of Kiese Laymon’s ‘Heavy’

The Weight and Power of Kiese Laymon’s ‘Heavy’ The Weight and Power of Kiese Laymon’s ‘Heavy’

His memoir is an affecting chronicle of both hope and despair in the American South.

Feb 7, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

How Did the Constitution Become America’s Authoritative Text?

How Did the Constitution Become America’s Authoritative Text? How Did the Constitution Become America’s Authoritative Text?

A new history of the early American republic recasts the origins of originalism and how the Constitution gained its “fixed” status.

Feb 7, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Karen J. Greenberg

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