Blood—and Beauty—at the Root
Fifty years ago, Alex Haley’s landmark novel changed the way many Americans thought about race
By Brandon Tensley Monday, June 15, 2026
Remembering Roots: How an American Classic Transformed the World by Lucas L. Johnson II
In Defense of Difficult Reading
The tomes of the past cultivate the lost art of sustained attention
By Todd Shy Friday, June 5, 2026
What’s So Great About the Great Books?: Why You Should Read Classic Literature (Even Though It Might Destroy You) Naomi Kanakia
Inside Man
A young reporter’s devastating exposé of the amoral elite
By Anne Matthews Monday, June 1, 2026
How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University By Theo Baker
Things Fall Apart
A meditation on entropy, obsolescence, and death
By Steven G. Kellman Monday, June 1, 2026
How We Disappear: A Personal History of Information By Thomas S. Mullaney
Into the Wilds
The tangled terrain of untrammeled lands
By Miranda Weiss Monday, June 1, 2026
The Savage Landscape: How We Made the Wilderness By Cal Flyn
The Painter Time Forgot
An overdue reckoning of an artist’s volcanic genius
By Rebecca Bedell Monday, June 1, 2026
Glorious Country: How the Artist Frederic Church Brought the World to America and America to the World By Victoria Johnson
Where Are We?
Finding our bearings has never been so risky
By Peter Turchi Monday, June 1, 2026
Little Blue Dot: How GPS Shaped the Modern World By Katherine Dunn
Canonical Contempt
Even in the 18th century, Edward Gibbon’s misogyny set him apart
By Michael O'Donnell Monday, June 1, 2026
The Conversions of Edward Gibbon: A Modern Biography By Martha Saxton
Books Are a Star’s Best Friend
The little-known reading habits of a Hollywood icon
By Noah Isenberg Thursday, May 28, 2026
Marilyn and Her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe by Gail Crowther
Who Is Thinking?
The quest to discover the answer to an age-old question
By T. M. Luhrmann Thursday, May 7, 2026
A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness By Michael Pollan
An Israeli-Palestinian Peace Encounter
Under raining bombs, is healing conceivable?
By Erik Gleibermann Wednesday, April 15, 2026
How the West Won
A great Texas novelist whose message succumbed to myth
By Steven G. Kellman Friday, April 10, 2026
Western Star: The Life and Legends of Larry McMurtryBy David Streitfeld
Words, Words, Words
How artists turned the canon against congressional inquisitors
By Brooke Kroeger Thursday, April 2, 2026
A Treacherous Secret Agent: How Literature Spoke Truth to Power During the Red Scareby Marjorie Garber
Lede-ing Ladies
How female foreign correspondents transformed journalism
By Anne Matthews Monday, March 16, 2026
Starry and Restless: Three Women Who Changed Work, Writing, and the WorldBy Julia Cooke
An American Prophet of the Natural World
Celebrating the magical mundane
By John Kaag Thursday, March 5, 2026
The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinaryby Terry Tempest Williams
The Great Decipherment
Decoding the story of a lost civilization
By Ilan Stavans Monday, March 2, 2026
The Four Heavens: A New History of the Ancient MayaBy David Stuart
Think, Again
Reckoning with the elegance of physical laws and the wonders of being alive
By John Kaag Monday, March 2, 2026
TraversalBy Maria Popova
Family Trees
Threats to our woods are threats to us all
By Priscilla Long Monday, March 2, 2026
When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural WorldBy Suzanne Simard
Criminal Complexity
What inherited traits can—and can’t—tell us about violent behavior
By Jill Leovy Monday, March 2, 2026
Original Sin: On the Genetics of Vice, the Problem of Blame, and the Future of ForgivenessBy Kathryn Paige Harden
The Minotaur’s Muses
The romantic cruelty of a brilliant artist
By Anne Matthews Friday, February 27, 2026
Hidden Portraits: Six Women Who Shaped Picasso's Lifeby Sue Roe
