Books and Ideas

In this April 14, 1964 black-and-white file photo, a man holds a Confederate flag at right, as demonstrators, including one carrying a sign saying:

David Leonhardt’s Centrist Nostalgia Won’t Save Democracy David Leonhardt’s Centrist Nostalgia Won’t Save Democracy

Jim Crow wasn’t an exception—but a model for the future.

Sep 23, 2022 / Jeet Heer

A Poet Confronts the Violent History of El Salvador

A Poet Confronts the Violent History of El Salvador A Poet Confronts the Violent History of El Salvador

Christopher Soto’s Diaries of a Terrorist grapples with the the security ideology that shapes the Americas through poems that explore activism and resistance.

Sep 22, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Danielle Mackey

Chinese American community leader Ying Lee Kelley

Remembering Ying Lee Remembering Ying Lee

Looking back at the life of a trailblazing activist and Berkeley’s first Asian American city council member.

Sep 21, 2022 / David Bacon

Imani Perry’s Capacious History of the South

Imani Perry’s Capacious History of the South Imani Perry’s Capacious History of the South

While the South is often dismissed as a region catching up to the rest of the country, Perry's new book demonstrates why it has always been the key to defining the promise and limi...

Sep 21, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Robert Greene II

King Charles III speaks as now-Queen Camilla sits beside him at Westminster Hall.

The New King The New King

As prince, King Charles tried not to act Like some aloof high-muck-a-muck. He spoke his mind, like common folk. So please feel free to call him Chuck.

Sep 20, 2022 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Michelle Tea’s DIY Pregnancy

Michelle Tea’s DIY Pregnancy Michelle Tea’s DIY Pregnancy

In her new book, Tea explores the difficulties of joys of getting pregnant and having a child.

Sep 19, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Erin Somers

We Didn’t Vanquish Polio. What Does That Mean for Covid-19?

We Didn’t Vanquish Polio. What Does That Mean for Covid-19? We Didn’t Vanquish Polio. What Does That Mean for Covid-19?

The world is still reeling from the pandemic, but another scourge we thought we’d eliminated has reemerged.

Sep 19, 2022 / Feature / Patrick Cockburn

Bill McKibben

The Indefatigable Bill McKibben The Indefatigable Bill McKibben

An interview with the environmentalist about what inspires him, how he became a writer, and his recent book, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon.

Sep 15, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Camille Baker

Nation Poetry

Elegy for a Poet Who Loved Sneakers Elegy for a Poet Who Loved Sneakers

  I didn’t know who you were, and then you died. I went searching for your poems online devouring one after another then reading your Twitter feed backwards, your voice gettin…

Sep 15, 2022 / Poems / P. Scott Cunningham

With Queen Elizabeth Gone, Monarchy’s Magic May Be Fading

With Queen Elizabeth Gone, Monarchy’s Magic May Be Fading With Queen Elizabeth Gone, Monarchy’s Magic May Be Fading

If the Crown is the lid on Britain’s pressure cooker, it is now less firmly placed on a more combustible pot.

Sep 13, 2022 / Owen Jones

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