Books and Ideas

The Strange Career of American Exceptionalism

The Strange Career of American Exceptionalism The Strange Career of American Exceptionalism

…and Barack Obama’s curious role as its most ardent recent champion and prominent victim.

Dec 6, 2016 / Feature / Greg Grandin

One Flew Over Bellevue

One Flew Over Bellevue One Flew Over Bellevue

As little as David Oshinsky might care to admit it, the idea that Bellevue is a place for “crazies” has stuck in our cultural consciousness.

Dec 3, 2016 / Nathan Smith

The Second Coming of MTV News

The Second Coming of MTV News The Second Coming of MTV News

Its rebirth gives insights into twin trends across the media landscape: prestige and diversity.

Dec 2, 2016 / Wei Tchou

Letters Icon

Letters From the December 19-26, 2016, Issue Letters From the December 19-26, 2016, Issue

Return of the repressed… Book therapy… Happily enough ever after… Dylan revisited…
 Bentham’s revenge…

Dec 1, 2016 / Our Readers and Samuel Moyn

Bruce Springsteen’s Redemption Song

Bruce Springsteen’s Redemption Song Bruce Springsteen’s Redemption Song

The musician delivers a flawed but exquisitely moving and detailed new memoir.

Dec 1, 2016 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu

Post-Truth and Its Consequences: What a 25-Year-Old Essay Tells Us About the Current Moment

Post-Truth and Its Consequences: What a 25-Year-Old Essay Tells Us About the Current Moment Post-Truth and Its Consequences: What a 25-Year-Old Essay Tells Us About the Current Moment

“We are rapidly becoming prototypes of a people that totalitarian monsters could only drool about in their dreams,” a Nation writer said in 1992.

Nov 30, 2016 / Richard Kreitner

Fidel Castro

How Cubans See Fidel Castro and His Revolution Is Tied to How They See Themselves How Cubans See Fidel Castro and His Revolution Is Tied to How They See Themselves

It’s no surprise many beam with pride when they talk about the “triumphs of the revolution.”

Nov 30, 2016 / Andrés S. Pertierra

Would Politics Be Better Off Without Anger?

Would Politics Be Better Off Without Anger? Would Politics Be Better Off Without Anger?

Martha Nussbaum’s new book about the dangers of anger tells us more about the limits of the liberal mindset than the actual world of politics.  

Nov 30, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Amia Srinivasan

How to Understand the Struggle for Black Freedom After Emancipation

How to Understand the Struggle for Black Freedom After Emancipation How to Understand the Struggle for Black Freedom After Emancipation

Five important books tell the tale.

Nov 30, 2016 / Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Washington’s New African-American Museum Shows How Black History Shaped the American Experience

Washington’s New African-American Museum Shows How Black History Shaped the American Experience Washington’s New African-American Museum Shows How Black History Shaped the American Experience

The most recent and cutting-edge scholarship informs the exhibits.

Nov 30, 2016 / Feature / Erica Armstrong Dunbar

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