Beyond Classification
One writer’s journey into the labyrinth of political and bureaucratic obfuscation
By Michael Sherry Thursday, July 23, 2020
Baseless: My Search for Secrets in the Ruins of the Freedom of Information Act by Nicholson Baker
How We Came Together
America purchased its sense of itself at a high price
By Jill Leovy Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood by Colin Woodard
A Lifelong Habit of Being
Exploring a fundamentally ambiguous attribute
By Elizabeth D. Samet Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Character: The History of a Cultural Obsession by Marjorie Garber
Our Feathered Friends
They aren’t the intellectual lightweights we take them for
By Sy Montgomery Tuesday, June 2, 2020
The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think by Jennifer Ackerman
The People’s Gallery
A collection that is the brightest light in a city full of them
By Anka Muhlstein Tuesday, June 2, 2020
The Louvre: The Many Lives of the World’s Most Famous Museum by James Gardner
Mysterious Inheritance
A new biography of the founder of population genetics
By David Brown Tuesday, June 2, 2020
A Dominant Character: The Radical Science and Restless Politics of J. B. S. Haldane by Samanth Subramanian
Feminism’s First Think Tank
The very different women of the Radcliffe Institute’s inaugural class
By Sandra M. Gilbert Wednesday, May 27, 2020
The Equivalents: A Story of Art, Female Friendship, and Liberation in the 1960s Maggie Doherty
The Beauty of Fluid Motion
How the future became fashionable
By Virginia Postrel Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Jet Age Aesthetic: The Glamour of Media in Motion by Vanessa R. Schwartz
Farm to Fable
How a now-forgotten writer changed American agriculture
By Tim Carman Monday, May 11, 2020
The Planter of Modern Life: Louis Bromfield and the Seeds of a Food Revolution by Stephen Heyman
War by Other Means
Subverting governments with lies is nothing new
By James Gibney Monday, March 2, 2020
Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare by Thomas Rid
Who Would I Be Off My Meds
Can weaning oneself off pharmaceuticals ease the cycle of perpetual suffering?
By Scott Stossel Thursday, March 6, 2025
Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistanceby Laura Delano
Who’s to Say? 
A bewildering take from a noted scholar of Christianity
By Sarah Ruden Monday, March 3, 2025
Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesusby Elaine Pagels
Chapters and Verse
Looking for the poet between the lines
By Jay Parini Monday, March 3, 2025
Love and Need: The Life of Robert Frost’s Poetryby Adam Plunkett
Once More, Without Feeling
Can a memoir be effective when it lacks any warmth?
By Casey Schwartz Monday, March 3, 2025
Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritanceby Joe Dunthorne
Electrons That Bind
The molecule at the center of everything
By Priscilla Long Monday, March 3, 2025
Carbon: The Book of Lifeby Paul Hawken
Food for Thought
A pragmatic approach to one of humanity’s gravest threats
By Anne Matthews Monday, March 3, 2025
How to Feed the World: The History and Future of Foodby Vaclav Smil
Splitting Our Sides
A new biography of a comedy pioneer
By Stephen Macone Monday, March 3, 2025
Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Liveby Susan Morrison
In the Lions’ Studio
A new dual biography turns the lens on the towering architects of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
By Noah Isenberg Thursday, February 13, 2025
Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equationby Kenneth Turan
Divided Providence
Faith’s pivotal role in the outcome of the Civil War
By Robert Wilson Thursday, January 23, 2025
Righteous Strife: How Warring Religious Nationalists Forged Lincoln’s Unionby Richard Carwardine
