Books and Ideas Archives

Peter Thiel speaks at a lectern, holding microphone in front of audience at The Cambridge Union.

The Billionaires Are Abandoning Humanity The Billionaires Are Abandoning Humanity

Peter Thiel and his friends feel they no longer belong to our species.

Jun 30, 2025 / Jeet Heer

“Washington Post” publisher Katharine Graham and executive editor Ben Bradlee leave US District Court in Washington on June 21, 1971, happy with Judge Gerhard A. Gesell's ruling the the paper could publish further articles about a Pentagon report on Vietnam. Later however, the US Court of Appeals extended for one more day a ban against publishing the secret documents.

My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note

Fifty-four years ago, Katharine Graham defended The Washington Post against presidential threats. Her granddaughter now fears its soul is being sold.

Jun 26, 2025 / Pamela Alma Weymouth

Left: Ford to City: Drop Dead reads front page of the New York “Daily News” for October 30, 1975. Right: Felix Rohatyn seated in front of a microphone.

The Death and Rebirth of New York City The Death and Rebirth of New York City

A new documentary about the 1975 fiscal crisis, Drop Dead City, is entertaining to watch but dangerously misleading as history—or politics.

Jun 24, 2025 / Doug Henwood

Exterior of The Bitter End coffee house, a venue specializing in live acoustic folk music, Greenwich Village, New York City, 1960s.

J. Hoberman’s Lost New York J. Hoberman’s Lost New York

In Everything Is Now, the veteran film critic looks back at the downtown art scene of the 1960s.

Jun 24, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Andrew Marzoni

Excerpted from the book “Spent,” provided courtesy of Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright © 2025 by Alison Bechdel. Reprinted by permission.

Alison Bechdel’s Next Step Alison Bechdel’s Next Step

In Spent, the graphic novelist confronts aging, politics, sex, and what it means to succeed under capitalism.

Jun 23, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Jillian Steinhauer

One time never-Trumper Bill Kristol—pictured here at a panel on

Those Sometimes-Trump Neocons Are Returning to the Fold Over Iran Those Sometimes-Trump Neocons Are Returning to the Fold Over Iran

As the president backs Israel’s long-awaited war with Iran, his neoconservative critics find themselves in an awkward position.

Jun 20, 2025 / Column / David Klion

The Confederate flag is seen waving behind the monument of the victims of the Confederation Army during the American Civil War in front of the State Congress building in Columbia, South Carolina, on June 19, 2015.

The Heritage of Dylann Roof The Heritage of Dylann Roof

Ten years after the Charleston massacre, reverence for the Confederacy that Roof idolized is going strong.

Jun 17, 2025 / Elizabeth Robeson

Black and white closeup of Brian Wilson's face in 1980.

Brian Wilson (1942–2025) Outlived the Times He Helped Define Brian Wilson (1942–2025) Outlived the Times He Helped Define

When the Beach Boys front man died, the obituaries described him as a genius. Which means what, exactly?

Jun 17, 2025 / Sid Holt

Greater America Has Been Exporting Disunion for Decades Greater America Has Been Exporting Disunion for Decades

So why are we still surprised when the tide of blood reaches our own shores? Some personal reflections on Marco Rubio and me—and the roots of Trump’s imperial ambitions.

Jun 16, 2025 / Feature / Viet Thanh Nguyen

Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg speaks during the opening night of the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University on March 27, 2025.

How Jeffrey Goldberg and “The Atlantic” Blew “the Biggest Story of the Year” How Jeffrey Goldberg and “The Atlantic” Blew “the Biggest Story of the Year”

Given advance warning of an impending war crime, the former cheerleader for the Iraq war decided his priority was to protect his scoop.

Jun 13, 2025 / JoAnn Wypijewski

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Books and Ideas

The Billionaires Are Abandoning Humanity The Billionaires Are Abandoning Humanity

My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note

The Death and Rebirth of New York City The Death and Rebirth of New York City

J. Hoberman’s Lost New York J. Hoberman’s Lost New York

Alison Bechdel’s Next Step Alison Bechdel’s Next Step

Those Sometimes-Trump Neocons Are Returning to the Fold Over Iran Those Sometimes-Trump Neocons Are Returning to the Fold Over Iran

The Heritage of Dylann Roof The Heritage of Dylann Roof

Brian Wilson (1942–2025) Outlived the Times He Helped Define Brian Wilson (1942–2025) Outlived the Times He Helped Define

Greater America Has Been Exporting Disunion for Decades Greater America Has Been Exporting Disunion for Decades

How Jeffrey Goldberg and “The Atlantic” Blew “the Biggest Story of the Year” How Jeffrey Goldberg and “The Atlantic” Blew “the Biggest Story of the Year”

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Books and Ideas

The Billionaires Are Abandoning Humanity The Billionaires Are Abandoning Humanity

My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note

The Death and Rebirth of New York City The Death and Rebirth of New York City

J. Hoberman’s Lost New York J. Hoberman’s Lost New York

Alison Bechdel’s Next Step Alison Bechdel’s Next Step

Those Sometimes-Trump Neocons Are Returning to the Fold Over Iran Those Sometimes-Trump Neocons Are Returning to the Fold Over Iran

The Heritage of Dylann Roof The Heritage of Dylann Roof

Brian Wilson (1942–2025) Outlived the Times He Helped Define Brian Wilson (1942–2025) Outlived the Times He Helped Define

Greater America Has Been Exporting Disunion for Decades Greater America Has Been Exporting Disunion for Decades

How Jeffrey Goldberg and “The Atlantic” Blew “the Biggest Story of the Year” How Jeffrey Goldberg and “The Atlantic” Blew “the Biggest Story of the Year”