Books and Ideas

Jonathan Blitzer: El País’s Journey to the Mainstream

Jonathan Blitzer: El País’s Journey to the Mainstream Jonathan Blitzer: El País’s Journey to the Mainstream

How did a newspaper that once represented a progressive alternative to the status quo ultimately come to be firmly identified with the state itself?

Feb 2, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Francis Reynolds

Adelson Adelson

(Sung by Newt Gingrich supporters to the tune of “Edelweiss,” from The Sound of Music)   Adelson, Adelson, Your donations do cheer him. We who root For our Newt Smile whenever you shmeer him.   Absent your vow That you would endow Newt’s campaign with plenty, Adelson, Adelson, He’d be dead as Pawlenty.

Jan 31, 2012 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Looking Back at the UFW, a Union With Two Souls

Looking Back at the UFW, a Union With Two Souls Looking Back at the UFW, a Union With Two Souls

A Q&A with Frank Bardacke, whose new book "Trampling Out the Vintage" complicates the legend and legacy of Cesar Chavez.

Jan 25, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Gabriel Thompson

A Spoonful of Sugar: On the Affordable Care Act

A Spoonful of Sugar: On the Affordable Care Act A Spoonful of Sugar: On the Affordable Care Act

Obama and America's hundred-year struggle over healthcare reform.

Jan 25, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Bernard Avishai

Shelf Life

Shelf Life Shelf Life

"The Complete Jean Vigo", Travis Wilkerson’s "An Injury to One."

Jan 25, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Akiva Gottlieb

The Foundation Business: On Olivier Zunz The Foundation Business: On Olivier Zunz

There’s more to American nonprofits than the success of wealthy donors and their large foundations.

Jan 25, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Pablo Eisenberg

Two Attempts to Explain the Resurrection of Newt Gingrich Two Attempts to Explain the Resurrection of Newt Gingrich

                          I. Yes, Newt appeared dead at least twice. If Mitt’s guys were playing it smart, They would have made certain of that By driving a stake through his heart.                             II. But Newt might have said if they had, Proceed, Mitt. You’ll see I won’t mind it. You’re free to drive stakes through my heart, Except that you’ll first have to find it.

Jan 25, 2012 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Marriage, Power and ‘The Obamas’ Marriage, Power and ‘The Obamas’

The swirl of controversy over Jodi Kantor’s biography reflects deep cultural anxieties about the limits we place on women in power.

Jan 18, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Ilyse Hogue

An Explanation of Gingrich’s Ad Accusing Romney of Being Able to Speak French An Explanation of Gingrich’s Ad Accusing Romney of Being Able to Speak French

Big Mo is what Gingrich is desperate to stop. He talks of how Romney will flip and will flop. He charges that Romney now goes through contortions To hide being someone who funded abortions And hide that in business wherever he’d roam Some innocent workers would lose hearth and home. There’s no way, Newt says, you can call Mitt a mensch. But what’s even worse is, the man can speak French.   Yes, being bilingual is really too much. It shows you’re elitist and way out of touch. Bilingual means speaking one language too many. We’ve voted for leaders who hardly speak any. Republican voters know one thing. It’s this: That ignorance rocks. (It’s sometimes called bliss.) So all Romney-huggers should undo their clench. Mitt Romney’s a menace: the man can speak French.

Jan 18, 2012 / Column / Calvin Trillin

All that Lore: On James Wolcott

All that Lore: On James Wolcott All that Lore: On James Wolcott

The critic James Wolcott has been gamely fighting losing battles for most of his career.

Jan 18, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Leo Robson

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