Books and Ideas

Nicolas Maduro is seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad.

The “Donroe” Doctrine Is Dangerous The “Donroe” Doctrine Is Dangerous

Trump’s brazen violation of international law destabilizes global security.

Jan 13, 2026 / Katrina vanden Heuvel and John Nichols

Maduro’s Arrest

Maduro’s Arrest Maduro’s Arrest

Jan 13, 2026 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Nation Poetry

Fear of Nothing Fear of Nothing

Jan 13, 2026 / Books & the Arts / D. Nurkse

The storming of the Bastille.

How Has the Idea of Revolution Changed? How Has the Idea of Revolution Changed?

A new history examines the long history of a radical and sometimes conservative concept.

Jan 13, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Peter E. Gordon

John Updike, Letter Writer

John Updike, Letter Writer John Updike, Letter Writer

A brilliant prose stylist, confident, amiable, and wonderfully lucid when talking about other people’s problems, Updike rarely confessed or confronted his own.

Jan 12, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick

A woman moves to comfort a coworker who is slumped over her desk in despair, circa 1940.

The Bleak History of the American Work Ethic The Bleak History of the American Work Ethic

In Make Your Own Job, Erik Baker shows just how long Americans have scrambled to pile work on top of work—and at what cost.

Jan 6, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Nick Juravich

Thomas Paine

Make 2026 the Year of Thomas Paine Make 2026 the Year of Thomas Paine

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, remember the founder who rallied the people against British and American oligarchs.

Jan 2, 2026 / John Nichols

Cyclists waiting at railroad crossing in Shenyang, China, 1990.

The Dislocations of Shuang Xuetao The Dislocations of Shuang Xuetao

The Chinese writer’s fiction details how the country transformed on an intimate level after the Cultural Revolution.

Dec 30, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Ting Lin

A child on a swing outside a residential building damaged by a missile in Kyiv, Ukraine, 2022.

An Absurdist Novel That Tries to Make Sense of the Ukraine War An Absurdist Novel That Tries to Make Sense of the Ukraine War

Maria Reva’s Endling is at once a postmodern caper and an autobiographical work that explores how ordinary people navigate a catastrophe.

Dec 30, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Laura Mills

Why We Keep Reading “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Why We Keep Reading “All Quiet on the Western Front” Why We Keep Reading “All Quiet on the Western Front”

A new translation vividly renders the sadly evergreen influence of the Erich Maria Remarque’s World War I novel.

Dec 29, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Paul Reitter

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