Obama and the Arc of the Rainbow

The president’s endorsement of same-sex marriage is a testament to the generations of activists who waged a brave and often lonely battle for gay rights.

the Editors

Wisconsin’s Recall

In the June 5 recall election to unseat Gov. Scott Walker and his cronies, grassroots activists are fighting millions in corporate cash.

John Nichols

Noted

Ari Berman on Mitt Romney’s bogus job numbers.

Ari Berman

Reality Bites Republicans

Political watchdogs like PolitiFact and the Washington Post's "Fact-Checker" are accused of favoring Democrats—but it is the facts themselves that have a liberal bias.

Chris Mooney

Ohio

Calvin Trillin

Attachment Parenting: More Guilt for Mother

Child-rearing fads aren’t really about children. They’re about regulating the behavior of women.

Katha Pollitt

Anti-Intellectualism From Arizona to Michigan

From the ethnic studies ban to firings over Travyon Martin, a strange hostility toward progressive education is emerging.

Patricia J. Williams

Blind Spot: On Christa Wolf

A postwar German novelist’s complicated legacy.

Holly Case

The Ravaging Nothing: On László Krasznahorkai

Satantango will devour you, you and everything you know.

Ben Ehrenreich

Mother Natures: On Elisabeth Badinter

In The Conflict, the French intellectual takes American mothering to task.

Jennifer Szalai

Love, Sam: On the Letters of Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett wants you to have a less bad day.

Aaron Thier

The Road to Hi Hat

Merrill Gilfillan

Cradle Knoll

Merrill Gilfillan

‘I Was There': On Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut sought to fool us with his eyes wide open.

William Deresiewicz

Love, Sam: On the Letters of Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett wants you to have a less bad day.

Aaron Thier

Letters

Our Readers and Samuel Moyn

Puzzle No. 3240

Don’t miss Kosman and Picciotto’s crossword blog, Word Salad.

Joshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto