Whose Side Is Clarence Thomas On? Whose Side Is Clarence Thomas On?
A new book argues that the Supreme Court justice’s early embrace of black nationalism is central to understanding his politics and jurisprudence. But perhaps far better guides are ...
Oct 29, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Randall Kennedy
Bowe Bergdahl’s Story Was Never Just About One Soldier’s Desertion Bowe Bergdahl’s Story Was Never Just About One Soldier’s Desertion
Matt Farwell and Michael Ames’s American Cipher goes behind the Bergdahl saga to probe America’s imperial past.
Oct 23, 2019 / Lyle Jeremy Rubin
The Contradictions of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. The Contradictions of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
The Supreme Court justice may have been heralded by many of his progressive peers, but the legacy he left behind is far more ambiguous.
Aug 13, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Brenda Wineapple
Richard Holbrooke and the Lost Idealism of a Generation Richard Holbrooke and the Lost Idealism of a Generation
Holbrooke’s public and personal life captures the contradictions of a cohort of liberals that came of age in the 1960s.
Aug 13, 2019 / Books & the Arts / David Klion
The Ugly Myth of the Welfare Queen The Ugly Myth of the Welfare Queen
Josh Levin’s The Queen examines how politicians and the media used Taylor's story to change public opinion around government aid and the poor.
Jul 2, 2019 / Jeremy Lybarger
Chronicling the Age of Hobsbawm: A Q&A With Historian Richard Evans Chronicling the Age of Hobsbawm: A Q&A With Historian Richard Evans
“The more I have read his writings, the more I have come to admire and respect him not just as an historian but as a person.”
Apr 26, 2019 / Sebastiaan Faber
The Transfixing Spell of Edward Gorey’s Life in Art The Transfixing Spell of Edward Gorey’s Life in Art
Mark Dery’s Born to Be Posthumous meticulously tells the story of the unconventional author and artist, who amassed an ardent following yet remains unknown to many readers.
Apr 16, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Jillian Steinhauer
Eric Hobsbawm’s Many Lefts Eric Hobsbawm’s Many Lefts
How the historian’s tumultuous life in the 20th century remade his politics.
Apr 8, 2019 / Books & the Arts / David Marcus
The Travails of Emmanuel Macron The Travails of Emmanuel Macron
A new book equates the French president's rise to a revolution. For much of France’s working and middle classes, it has been nothing short of a disaster.
Apr 1, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Cole Stangler
Rediscovering Nelson Algren Rediscovering Nelson Algren
The literary giant’s unique resonance in our anti-capitalist moment.
Mar 19, 2019 / Dan Simon