Books and Ideas

Yale Slavery Menafee

A Worker Broke a Window at Yale and Shed Light on History A Worker Broke a Window at Yale and Shed Light on History

The vestige of American slavery had long gone politely ignored amid the polished Oxonian interiors of the rarefied university.

Jul 25, 2016 / StudentNation / Michelle Chen

Melania Trump

Melania’s Law: What Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong Melania’s Law: What Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong

A humorous response to the RNC.

Jul 22, 2016 / Khalid Rahmaan

Across the Border

Across the Border Across the Border

A new biography of William Henry Ellis reminds us how much we still don’t know about the elusive history of racial subterfuge in America.

Jul 21, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Michael A. Elliott

The Partisan Reviewer

The Partisan Reviewer The Partisan Reviewer

In two recent essay collections, Tim Parks explores why we bother with reading and writing books.

Jul 21, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Becca Rothfeld

Legend of Tarzan still

A Brutal Account of Colonialism in Africa Just Showed Up in the Most Unlikely of Places: Hollywood A Brutal Account of Colonialism in Africa Just Showed Up in the Most Unlikely of Places: Hollywood

Bet you didn’t know the latest Tarzan movie was based on this story.

Jul 19, 2016 / Adam Hochschild

Wayne LaPierre, 2011 (Photograph by Gage Skidmore)

If Wayne LaPierre Held a Press Conference If Wayne LaPierre Held a Press Conference

Half-answers, typical rhetoric, and diversions.

Jul 15, 2016 / Khalid Rahmaan

Gabby Douglas at the 2012 Olympic trials in San Jose, California (Peter Read Miller)

Out of Sight, Top of Mind Out of Sight, Top of Mind

A new book conveys the powerful role photography plays in sports. But the photographers are still something of a mystery.

Jul 15, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Ian F. Blair

Mural Against Gun Violence

After a Week of Killings After a Week of Killings

The tensions are rising, and anger is, too. But Congress does not seem alarmed. Its leaders are confident. They’ve got a plan: Make certain that everyone’s armed.

Jul 14, 2016 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Europe’s Other Migration Crisis

Europe’s Other Migration Crisis Europe’s Other Migration Crisis

Eastern European countries are attempting to deter immigration today for the same reason they tried to halt emigration a century ago: to protect themselves as ethnic nations.

Jul 13, 2016 / Books & the Arts / John Connelly

Malcolm X with King Faisal

The Political Uses of Malcolm X’s Image The Political Uses of Malcolm X’s Image

For Muslim youth, interest in the black freedom movement is part of a larger turn toward an American conception of race—it fills a political void and offers a sense of belonging. B...

Jul 12, 2016 / Hisham Aidi

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