Books and Ideas

The Civil War’s Economic Shadow

The Civil War’s Economic Shadow The Civil War’s Economic Shadow

To finance the war, the Union had to turn to the banks, and with lasting consequences.

Nov 2, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Stephanie McCurry

Liz Truss

Supply-Side Economics Strikes Again Supply-Side Economics Strikes Again

We bid farewell to poor Liz Truss. Her economics caused a fuss. Supply-side loyalty prevails. Despite the fact it always fails. Liz thought that wealth would downward trickle. That…

Nov 1, 2022 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Photo diagram from the Bruno Hauptman trial.

How the Courts Stack the Odds Against the Innocent How the Courts Stack the Odds Against the Innocent

A new book by Daniel Medwed examines the reasons the wrongfully convicted find it so hard to prove their innocence.

Nov 1, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jed S. Rakoff

Meredith Tax

Meredith Tax, 1942–2022 Meredith Tax, 1942–2022

The tireless organizer, feminist pioneer, and relentless coalition builder never let up.

Oct 31, 2022 / Alix Kates Shulman

Javier Zamora and the Canon of Undocumented Literature

Javier Zamora and the Canon of Undocumented Literature Javier Zamora and the Canon of Undocumented Literature

The poet’s memoir joins a growing body of work chronicling the personal and political odysseys undocumented Americans face. 

Oct 31, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jesús A. Rodríguez

The Cuban Missile Crisis Cover-Up

The Cuban Missile Crisis Cover-Up The Cuban Missile Crisis Cover-Up

How JFK and Robert Kennedy hid the quid pro quo that saved the world from nuclear war.

Oct 28, 2022 / Peter Kornbluh

How Useful Is Theory In Moments of Crisis?

How Useful Is Theory In Moments of Crisis? How Useful Is Theory In Moments of Crisis?

A conversation with sociologist Dylan Riley about the state of left politics, defending social theory as a political tool, and his new book Microverses.

Oct 28, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Ishan Desai-Geller

The Shadows of Stanley Cavell

The Shadows of Stanley Cavell The Shadows of Stanley Cavell

A posthumous collection of essays, Here and Now: Sites of Philosophy, reveals both what was insightful and what was profoundly lacking in the project of ordinary language philosoph...

Oct 27, 2022 / Books & the Arts / John-Baptiste Oduor

Nation Poetry

the impact of foreign bodies; the earth collapsing the impact of foreign bodies; the earth collapsing

  A shadow bisects another, which is to say it enlarges itself The body doubles what it cannot hold I turned on the TV to drown out my heartbeat This hefty crime: to obscure a…

Oct 27, 2022 / Poems / Jennifer S. Cheng

Republicans Have Spent Millions on Youth Outreach. And It’s Working.

Republicans Have Spent Millions on Youth Outreach. And It’s Working. Republicans Have Spent Millions on Youth Outreach. And It’s Working.

Kyle Spencer’s new book Raising Them Right shows how the conservative establishment has recruited and trained new generations of activists over the last 60 years.

Oct 26, 2022 / Q&A / Julian Epp

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