Biography

Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets reacts after a play during the second half of an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium, 2024.

The Agony of Aaron Rodgers The Agony of Aaron Rodgers

Is he the world’s most interesting athlete or is he just a washed-up crackpot?

Dec 11, 2024 / Books & the Arts / John Semley

Elaine May poses for a portrait in a bowling alley in New York City, 1961.

The Irrepressible Elaine May The Irrepressible Elaine May

Her films reveled in the possibility of capturing the spontaneous beauty of improvisation.

Oct 21, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Alex Kong

Former Republican presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump shake hands during a campaign rally at Desert Diamond Arena on August 23, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona.

By His Endorsement of Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Shows the Dark Side of Camelot By His Endorsement of Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Shows the Dark Side of Camelot

The complex Kennedy legacy has reactionary as well as liberal strands.

Aug 28, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Natasha Trethewey’s Life in Poetry and Prose

Natasha Trethewey’s Life in Poetry and Prose Natasha Trethewey’s Life in Poetry and Prose

A work of biography, an essay on literature and memory and the South, a prose poem full of lyrical dexterity, Trethewey's latest book is like all of her others: a master study of ...

Aug 28, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Edna Bonhomme

Percival Everett’s Great American Novel

Percival Everett’s Great American Novel Percival Everett’s Great American Novel

In his new novel James, Everett reminds us of the thorny absurdity that is U.S. history.

Aug 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Omari Weekes

American tennis star Althea Gibson hits a return shot to Colette Monnot during her singles match at the Surrey Grass Court Championship, held at the Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club.

Althea Gibson Let the Racquet Do the Talking Althea Gibson Let the Racquet Do the Talking

A recent biography of the complicated tennis legend underlines the sport’s persistent challenges with race, class, and celebrity.

Aug 13, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Alisa Solomon

Harriet Tubman in 1868 or 1869.

The Many Lives of Harriet Tubman The Many Lives of Harriet Tubman

Tiya Miles’s Night Flyer is a landmark biography of one of 19th-century America’s most important figures. 

Jul 2, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Kellie Carter Jackson

Joni Mitchell being interviewed in 1972 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Seeing Ourselves in Joni Mitchell Seeing Ourselves in Joni Mitchell

Ann Powers’s deeply personal biography of Joni Mitchell looks at how a generation of listeners came to identify with the folk singer’s intimate songs.

Jun 11, 2024 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu

The Enigma of Frantz Fanon

The Enigma of Frantz Fanon The Enigma of Frantz Fanon

A revolutionary and an intellectual, a nationalist and a cosmopolitan, a doctor and a revolutionary, Fanon was always multiple.

Jun 3, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Ken Chen

Ella Fitzgerald at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, 1970.

The Genius of Ella Fitzgerald The Genius of Ella Fitzgerald

She remade the American songbook in her image, uprooting the very meaning of musical performance.

May 28, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Sam Fentress

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