Books and Ideas

Trump with hands outstretched

Presidential Diagnosis Presidential Diagnosis

He tweets wacko theories. He rants and he raves. His language decay is steady. The question is asked: Is he falling apart— Or was he apart already?…

Aug 11, 2020 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Comix Nation

Comix Nation Comix Nation

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Aug 11, 2020 / Peter Kuper

Tom Tomorrow cartoon

‘Coronavirus Is a Hoax’ and Other Fantasies ‘Coronavirus Is a Hoax’ and Other Fantasies

Coronavirus is a conspiracy. Masks are a conspiracy. Mail-in voting is a conspiracy. Seeing a pattern here?

Aug 11, 2020 / Tom Tomorrow

Julian Bond’s Life in Protest and Politics

Julian Bond’s Life in Protest and Politics Julian Bond’s Life in Protest and Politics

A new collection of essays demonstrates how the civil rights icon’s thinking evolved amid the upheavals of the 20th century.

Aug 10, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Robert Greene II

Could Wonder Woman Save Us From Covid-19?

Could Wonder Woman Save Us From Covid-19? Could Wonder Woman Save Us From Covid-19?

Our leaders are as bad as any comic book villain. But even they might be no match for Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth—or Spider-man’s web shooters or Shuri’s brain.

Aug 10, 2020 / Elie Mystal

For Ottessa Moshfegh, Novel Writing Is a Spiritual Experience

For Ottessa Moshfegh, Novel Writing Is a Spiritual Experience For Ottessa Moshfegh, Novel Writing Is a Spiritual Experience

We talked to the writer about how she composes her books and how she gets into the minds of her characters. 

Aug 6, 2020 / Q&A / Rosemarie Ho

No Matter Who Biden Chooses as VP, It Will Be a Bittersweet Win for Women

No Matter Who Biden Chooses as VP, It Will Be a Bittersweet Win for Women No Matter Who Biden Chooses as VP, It Will Be a Bittersweet Win for Women

By the end of Biden’s VP vetting, it seemed the 11th commandment of women’s politics is “Thou shalt never be just right.”

Aug 6, 2020 / Joan Walsh

NK Jemisin

N.K. Jemisin Wrote a Sci-Fi Ode to New York City—Then It Became Reality N.K. Jemisin Wrote a Sci-Fi Ode to New York City—Then It Became Reality

We talked to the award-winning writer about The City We Became, her latest groundbreaking, world-quaking book, and why it feels so prescient.

Aug 4, 2020 / Q&A / Jessica Suriano

The Philosophical Leftovers of Gilles Deleuze

The Philosophical Leftovers of Gilles Deleuze The Philosophical Leftovers of Gilles Deleuze

What is there left to learn from the work the French thinker left behind?

Aug 3, 2020 / Andrew Marzoni

The Biography That Reimagined a Life—and the Genre

The Biography That Reimagined a Life—and the Genre The Biography That Reimagined a Life—and the Genre

Diane Johnson’s The True History of the First Mrs. Meredith and Other Lesser Lives uses speculation and fabulation to correct the biases of history.

Jul 30, 2020 / Marie Solis

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