Books and Ideas

George Whitmore, 1987.

George Whitmore’s Unsparing Queer Fiction George Whitmore’s Unsparing Queer Fiction

Long out of print, his novel Nebraska is an enigmatic record of queer survival in midcentury America.

Jan 26, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Jeremy Lybarger

The Strange Story of the Famed Anti-Fascist Lament  “First They Came…”

The Strange Story of the Famed Anti-Fascist Lament “First They Came…” The Strange Story of the Famed Anti-Fascist Lament “First They Came…”

In his celebrated mea culpa, the German pastor Martin Niemöller blamed his failure to speak out against the Nazis on indifference. Was that the whole reason?

Jan 20, 2026 / Feature / Barry Yourgrau

Angelo Herndon, whose conviction for a crime related to free speech was overturned in 1935, arrives at NYC’s Penn Station.

Is It Possible for Speech to Ever Be Too Free? Is It Possible for Speech to Ever Be Too Free?

A new history explores the political limits as well as possibilities of freedom of speech.

Jan 20, 2026 / Books & the Arts / David Cole

Taipei, June 2025.

How Taiwan Became the Chipmaker for the World How Taiwan Became the Chipmaker for the World

A new book tells the story of the island-nation’s transformation into a central hub for technological development and manufacturing.

Jan 19, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Yangyang Cheng

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

Maduro’s Arrest

Maduro’s Arrest Maduro’s Arrest

Jan 13, 2026 / Column / Calvin Trillin

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

Nation Poetry

Fear of Nothing Fear of Nothing

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

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

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