Books and Ideas

Human, All Too Human Human, All Too Human

Humanism, like democracy, is a word that labors under an excess of meaning. It can mean acknowledging the value of human beings, or denying the existence of God.

Apr 22, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Terry Eagleton

The National Insecurity State The National Insecurity State

Keen to control the flow of information, the Bush political machine has labored day and night to obstruct public oversight of US foreign policy. But the basic reality cannot be...

Apr 22, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Holmes

Woodward Returns Woodward Returns

Correction: "The Man" is the term Dick Cheney uses to refer to George W. Bush, not the term used by other officials to refer to Cheney. (6/1/04)

Apr 22, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Eric Alterman

Why the Bubble Popped Why the Bubble Popped

This clutch of books offers an excellent retrospective on the recent stock-market crash, which wiped out $8.5 trillion in market value.

Apr 15, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Robert Sherrill

Wishful Thinking Wishful Thinking

In early 1966, Leonard Bernstein threw a birthday party for Dmitri Shostakovich in Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall.

Apr 15, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Paul Mitchinson

Eugene McCarthy: 1916-2005 Eugene McCarthy: 1916-2005

Eugene McCarthy, the Senate dove who in 1968 challenged Lyndon Johnson's conduct of the Vietnam War, died Saturday at the age of 89. In this 2004 review of Dominic Sandbrook's biog...

Apr 15, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Jon Wiener

Why Brown Still Matters Why Brown Still Matters

Fifty years ago, African-Americans and fellow progressives hailed Brown v. Board of Education as a conclusive turning point in the struggle for racial equality.

Apr 15, 2004 / Books & the Arts / David J. Garrow

Brown v. Board of Education: The Climax of an Era Brown v. Board of Education: The Climax of an Era

The Supreme Court says separate but equal is inherently unequal.

Apr 14, 2004 / Various Contributors

What Are They Reading? What Are They Reading?

Since I'm from California, I sometimes dare to dispute the seemingly popular East Coast belief that my home state is a cultural wasteland.

Apr 13, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Abby Aguirre

L’Amérique, Mon Amour L’Amérique, Mon Amour

Along with the Bible and Moby-Dick, Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America has got to be one of the world's least-read classics.

Apr 8, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Lazare

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