Books and Ideas

Reading Judith Butler’s “Gender Trouble” in the Age of Ron DeSantis

Reading Judith Butler’s “Gender Trouble” in the Age of Ron DeSantis Reading Judith Butler’s “Gender Trouble” in the Age of Ron DeSantis

More than 30 years after it was published, the seminal queer theory text still has some things to say.

Dec 14, 2022 / Feature / Naomi Gordon-Loebl

Democrats Got Tough on Crime. Now There’s a Crisis of Aging Behind Bars.

Democrats Got Tough on Crime. Now There’s a Crisis of Aging Behind Bars. Democrats Got Tough on Crime. Now There’s a Crisis of Aging Behind Bars.

California and New York legislators are trying to undo the damage caused since the 1994 Crime Bill. But elder parole isn’t working as hoped.

Dec 14, 2022 / Feature / Victoria Law

The Radical Internationalism of the Spanish Civil War

The Radical Internationalism of the Spanish Civil War The Radical Internationalism of the Spanish Civil War

A new graphic history charts the exploits of those Americans serving in the war’s International Brigades.

Dec 14, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Bill Fletcher Jr.

Nell Zink’s California

Nell Zink’s California Nell Zink’s California

There is Hollywood, there are lights, but only the rich are allowed to enjoy them.

Dec 13, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Alana Pockros

Sister Souljah in Harlem in 1993

How Sister Souljah Went From Radical Activist to Scapegoat to Blockbuster Novelist How Sister Souljah Went From Radical Activist to Scapegoat to Blockbuster Novelist

After Bill Clinton used her to catapult himself to the presidency, the activist Souljah was sidelined. But the novelist Souljah continued to produce work that spoke to millions.

Dec 13, 2022 / Feature / Dani McClain

Winners

Winners Winners

Among the people Trump will not denounce, Who’s leading now for statements that appall us? The race remains quite close, but in the lead It’s Ye and his pal Fuentes über alles.

Dec 13, 2022 / Column / Calvin Trillin

How the Third Way Made Neoliberal Politics Seem Inevitable

How the Third Way Made Neoliberal Politics Seem Inevitable How the Third Way Made Neoliberal Politics Seem Inevitable

An overhyped new paradigm proved to be a slogan without a movement.

Dec 13, 2022 / Feature / Lily Geismer

The Birth of a New Brand of Exercise Fetish

The Birth of a New Brand of Exercise Fetish The Birth of a New Brand of Exercise Fetish

From Bikram yoga to Tae Bo, the 1990s exploded with exoticized consumer fitness products.

Dec 13, 2022 / Feature / Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

AI Comes for the Writers

AI Comes for the Writers AI Comes for the Writers

It's long been assumed that truck drivers' jobs would be first on the chopping block. Not anymore.

Dec 12, 2022 / McCaffrey Blauner

How Food Became a Weapon in the Right’s Culture Wars

How Food Became a Weapon in the Right’s Culture Wars How Food Became a Weapon in the Right’s Culture Wars

First came the politics of right-wing grievance. Then came the new foodie culture. Together, they combined to create one toxic food fight.

Dec 12, 2022 / Feature / Brent Cunningham

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