Culture

Three stacks of 100 dollar bills.

How the “American Dream” Became Un-American How the “American Dream” Became Un-American

When plutocrats defend it, and democrats bewail its passing, it’s time to recall the original meaning of the phrase.

Feb 10, 2022 / Maria Bustillos

Manthia Diawara in the Archive of Postcolonialism

Manthia Diawara in the Archive of Postcolonialism Manthia Diawara in the Archive of Postcolonialism

His films put into practice the history of radical Black thought by placing generations of thinkers in conversation.

Feb 10, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Elias Rodriques

Is “The Matrix Resurrections” About Authorial Anxiety?

Is “The Matrix Resurrections” About Authorial Anxiety? Is “The Matrix Resurrections” About Authorial Anxiety?

At times myopic and contrarian, the latest entry in the series feels more like a copyright renewal than a narrative.

Feb 9, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

Book Bans Are on the Rise. But Librarians and Authors Are Fighting Back.

Book Bans Are on the Rise. But Librarians and Authors Are Fighting Back. Book Bans Are on the Rise. But Librarians and Authors Are Fighting Back.

In the past few decades in the US, book banning has taken on a decidedly more genteel character.

Feb 8, 2022 / Katrina vanden Heuvel

The Haunted World of Edith Wharton

The Haunted World of Edith Wharton The Haunted World of Edith Wharton

Whether exploring the dread of everyday life or the horrors of the occult, her ghost tales documented an America haunted by the specters of isolation, class, and despair. 

Feb 8, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Krithika Varagur

Palin Redux

Palin Redux Palin Redux

Sarah Palin flouts a New York ordinance by dining in an Upper East Side restaurant unvaccinated.—News reports Refusing the vaccine means freedom, she says, And no one can ever nega…

Feb 8, 2022 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Baseball Players Can’t Live on “a Cup of Coffee”

Baseball Players Can’t Live on “a Cup of Coffee” Baseball Players Can’t Live on “a Cup of Coffee”

The media’s “billionaires vs. millionaires” view of the current baseball lockout is a major league lie. The vast majority of players who reach the big leagues don’t play long enoug...

Feb 7, 2022 / Kelly Candaele and Peter Dreier

Has the Pandemic Pushed Universities to the Brink?

Has the Pandemic Pushed Universities to the Brink? Has the Pandemic Pushed Universities to the Brink?

Covid has turned the gap between universities and colleges serving mainly privileged students and those serving needy ones into a chasm and it is unclear if the latter will be able...

Feb 7, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Andrew Delbanco

What Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” Means to the Children of Survivors

What Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” Means to the Children of Survivors What Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” Means to the Children of Survivors

On banning the book that changed what we talk about when we talk about the Holocaust.

Feb 4, 2022 / Linda Mannheim

In Search of Self-Destruction on an Oil Rig

In Search of Self-Destruction on an Oil Rig In Search of Self-Destruction on an Oil Rig

Tabitha Lasley’s Sea State is an intimate and blistering memoir of a writer’s life amidst the UK’s offshore natural gas industry.

Feb 3, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jess Bergman

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