Biography

The Long, Entwined History of America First and the American Dream

The Long, Entwined History of America First and the American Dream The Long, Entwined History of America First and the American Dream

A new history shows that these expressions were originally used in ways that are significantly different from our current understanding of them.

Nov 21, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Kevin M. Kruse

Zbigniew Brzezinski’s Cold War

Zbigniew Brzezinski’s Cold War Zbigniew Brzezinski’s Cold War

A new biography of Jimmy Carter’s national-security adviser attempts to place him among the pantheon of master foreign-policy strategists, but was he?

Nov 21, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Andrew J. Bacevich

Prison library

Shining a Light on Life Behind Bars Shining a Light on Life Behind Bars

In letters compiled by the American Prison Writing Archive, inmates share accounts of suicide, friendship, and solitary confinement.

Nov 12, 2018 / Ella Fassler

Letters Icon

Letters From the December 3-10, 2018, Issue Letters From the December 3-10, 2018, Issue

This is what heroism looks like… Lost in translation… Humph!…

Nov 8, 2018 / Our Readers

Frederick Douglass’s 19th Century

Frederick Douglass’s 19th Century Frederick Douglass’s 19th Century

A new biography gives an account of both Douglass’s political and personal life that will likely remain the standard for years to come.

Oct 25, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Eric Foner

Who Owns Kafka?

Who Owns Kafka? Who Owns Kafka?

The complicated legacy of the writer’s estate.

Oct 3, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Evan Kindley

The Afterlives of Charles de Gaulle

The Afterlives of Charles de Gaulle The Afterlives of Charles de Gaulle

A new biography claims his vision was a stabilizing synthesis of France’s monarchical and republican political traditions. But was it?

Aug 29, 2018 / Books & the Arts / David A. Bell

Aretha Franklin—Musical Genius, Truth Teller, Freedom Fighter

Aretha Franklin—Musical Genius, Truth Teller, Freedom Fighter Aretha Franklin—Musical Genius, Truth Teller, Freedom Fighter

Angela Davis, whose bond Franklin offered to post in 1970, says that the singer’s work “helped to shape and deepen a collective consciousness anchored in a yearning for freedom.”

Aug 16, 2018 / Farah Jasmine Griffin

The Trials of Jimmy Carter

The Trials of Jimmy Carter The Trials of Jimmy Carter

 The president without a party.

Jul 5, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Michael Kazin

Finding a Way Back Home

Finding a Way Back Home Finding a Way Back Home

The many Philip Roths.

May 25, 2018 / David Marcus

x