Books and Ideas

A scene from the day Princess Isabel abolished slavery in Brazil, 1888.

In Brazil, a Best-Selling Novel Confronts the Brutal Afterlife of Slavery In Brazil, a Best-Selling Novel Confronts the Brutal Afterlife of Slavery

Crooked Plow made Itamar Vieira Junior an essential voice in Brazilian letters.

Oct 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jimin Kang

Osamu Dazai, 1924.

The Ironist and the Exhibitionist: On Osamu Dazai The Ironist and the Exhibitionist: On Osamu Dazai

The Japanese novelist’s dark-hearted comedies are at once unhinged and brilliant.

Oct 24, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Paul Franz

Nation Poetry

I Have Brought You Syria I Have Brought You Syria

Oct 23, 2023 / Poems / Ghayath Almadhoun

Tree of Knowledge

Tree of Knowledge Tree of Knowledge

Unlocking the power of books.

Oct 18, 2023 / OppArt / Shawn Etheridge

Samuel Ringgold Ward.

The Many Lives of Samuel Ringgold Ward The Many Lives of Samuel Ringgold Ward

Books & the Arts / October 18, 2023 The Creed of Liberty The remarkable life of Samuel Ringgold Ward. The Many Lives of Samuel Ringgold Ward R.J.M. Blackett’s new biography…

Oct 18, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Kellie Carter Jackson

The Latin School Teacher Who Made Classics Popular

The Latin School Teacher Who Made Classics Popular The Latin School Teacher Who Made Classics Popular

A new biography of Edith Hamilton tells the story of how and why ancient literature became widely read in the United States.

Oct 17, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Emily Wilson

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell arrives at a gathering of supporters of former US president Donald Trump.

Nothing Under the Pillow Nothing Under the Pillow

Oct 17, 2023 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Left to right: Ayman Mohyeldin, Ali Melshi, and Mehdi Hasan.

The Fight Over MSNBC’s Cave-in to Islamophobia The Fight Over MSNBC’s Cave-in to Islamophobia

Amid war fever and bigoted violence, we have to combat media cowardice.

Oct 16, 2023 / Jeet Heer

How Everything Became Data

How Everything Became Data How Everything Became Data

Starting with the birth of statistics in the 19th century and concluding with algorithms and AI systems, a new book examines how humans became studied as a set of ones and zeroes....

Oct 16, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Ben Tarnoff

Cambodia is afflicted with some of the highest concentrations of land mineson earth.

Cambodia Is Teaching the World How to Clear Land Mines Cambodia Is Teaching the World How to Clear Land Mines

The country’s history of bombardment has led it to develop expertise in the dangerous, delicate business of removing these hidden threats.

Oct 14, 2023 / Feature / Moustafa Bayoumi

x