Books and Ideas

The Surprising History of the Comic Book

The Surprising History of the Comic Book The Surprising History of the Comic Book

Since their initial popularity during World War II, comic books have always been a medium for American counterculture and for nativism and empire. 

Jan 25, 2022 / Books & the Arts / J. Hoberman

The Past and Future of Native California

The Past and Future of Native California The Past and Future of Native California

A new book retells California’s history through the experience of its Native peoples.

Jan 24, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Julian Brave NoiseCat

The Making of a Coronavirus-Criminal Presidency

The Making of a Coronavirus-Criminal Presidency The Making of a Coronavirus-Criminal Presidency

If you want to know how the US ended up in a pandemic with a swindler president who could not be bothered to take basic steps to save lives, don’t start with Trump.

Jan 24, 2022 / Feature / John Nichols

John Roberts Gets an F on His Annual Report

John Roberts Gets an F on His Annual Report John Roberts Gets an F on His Annual Report

The chief justice’s year-end appraisal of the federal judiciary reads as innocuous at first glance—it’s anything but.

Jan 24, 2022 / Column / Elie Mystal

Terry Teachout and the Last of the Conservative Critics

Terry Teachout and the Last of the Conservative Critics Terry Teachout and the Last of the Conservative Critics

He was a generation younger than Joan Didion and her cohort of critics who got their start at National Review. With his death, their strain of criticism seems not only rare but per...

Jan 20, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jeet Heer

Learning From Decades of Public Health Failure

Learning From Decades of Public Health Failure Learning From Decades of Public Health Failure

A conversation with George Aumoithe on the history of disease prevention, the economic roots of the crisis American hospitals face, and why we need to do better.

Jan 19, 2022 / Q&A / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Nation Poetry

Toward Bakersfield Toward Bakersfield

I Because the road comes without calling it, head low like it doesn’t want trouble but really does, and the bright cars, with faces like their owners, want to witness that trouble,…

Jan 18, 2022 / Poems / Brendan Constantine

Lessons From Louise Glück

Lessons From Louise Glück Lessons From Louise Glück

A conversation with the poet and Nobel laureate about her career, teaching, her next book, and more.

Jan 18, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Sam Huber

5 Lessons From Hunter S. Thompson

5 Lessons From Hunter S. Thompson 5 Lessons From Hunter S. Thompson

Wisdom from the godfather of gonzo.

Jan 17, 2022 / Peter Richardson

Rebecca Solnit Is Not Giving Up Hope

Rebecca Solnit Is Not Giving Up Hope Rebecca Solnit Is Not Giving Up Hope

An interview with the essayist about the need for bread and roses—especially in perilous times.

Jan 14, 2022 / Q&A / John Nichols

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