Books and Ideas

Stefan Bakałowicz's “Roman poet Catullus reading to his friends” (1885).

The Age-Old Struggle of Translating Catullus The Age-Old Struggle of Translating Catullus

A crisp new rendering of the Roman poet’s poems underlines how difficult it is to fully relate all his complexities and contradictions.

Oct 3, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Nicolas Liney

After discovering Jane in 1971, Shannon joined Chicago’s famous abortion underground.

The Story of Sakinah Ahad Shannon, an Early Hero of Abortion Liberation The Story of Sakinah Ahad Shannon, an Early Hero of Abortion Liberation

Sakinah discovered Chicago’s Abortion Counseling Service, better known as Jane, because she wanted to help a friend. Then she became an essential part of it.

Oct 1, 2024 / Feature / Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone

Alice Notley’s Roving “I”

Alice Notley’s Roving “I” Alice Notley’s Roving “I”

In Being Reflected Upon, a memoir in verse, the poet moves through the moments of her life with an almost cosmic sense of knowingness.

Oct 1, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kathryn Scanlan

Republican vice presidential nominee US Senator JD Vance visits

JD Vance Is Working Hard to Be Hated JD Vance Is Working Hard to Be Hated

For the Republican candidate, riling up the right-wing base outweighs alienating everyone else.

Sep 30, 2024 / Jeet Heer

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

Fredric Jameson

The Gifts of Fredric Jameson (1934–2024) The Gifts of Fredric Jameson (1934–2024)

The intellectual titan bestowed on us so many things, chief among them a reminder to Always Be Historicizing.

Sep 26, 2024 / Column / Kate Wagner

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

Laura Loomer, in large sunglasses, stands in front of a courthouse wearing a shirt that reads

Two Questions Concerning Laura Loomer Two Questions Concerning Laura Loomer

Sep 24, 2024 / Column / Calvin Trillin

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

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