Books and Ideas

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mall of America, 1992.

The Rise and Fall of the Mall The Rise and Fall of the Mall

Alexandra Lange's Meet Me by the Fountain recovers the forgotten past and the still hopeful future of the American shopping mall.

Dec 12, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Melvin Backman

The 1990s Were Meant to Be the End of History—Instead They Birthed the Future

The 1990s Were Meant to Be the End of History—Instead They Birthed the Future The 1990s Were Meant to Be the End of History—Instead They Birthed the Future

Welcome to The Nation’s '90s issue, a heady romp through the decade that set the stage for the present moment.

Dec 12, 2022 / Lizzy Ratner, Regina Mahone, Ludwig Hurtado, and Alana Pockros

A protester at the 1999 World Trade Organization demon

How the Left Was Lost in the 1990s—but Found Its Way Again How the Left Was Lost in the 1990s—but Found Its Way Again

In the 1990s, the left was embattled and diminished. But it kept the flame burning just enough for a new generation to come along and give it oxygen.

Dec 12, 2022 / Feature / Naomi Klein

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