Books and Ideas

‘Gross Cruelty and Fraud’ in the Gulf of Tonkin: A Brief History

‘Gross Cruelty and Fraud’ in the Gulf of Tonkin: A Brief History ‘Gross Cruelty and Fraud’ in the Gulf of Tonkin: A Brief History

The quagmire of the Vietnam War was built on a “queasy foundation of fact and myth.”

Jul 31, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Richard Kreitner and Back Issues

Spina’s Shadow

Spina’s Shadow Spina’s Shadow

“Darling, this is Alessandro Spina, who is trying to make Italians feel guilty about their colonial crimes.”

Jul 29, 2014 / Books & the Arts / André Naffis-Sahely

In Our Orbit: A Tolerance for Ambiguity

In Our Orbit: A Tolerance for Ambiguity In Our Orbit: A Tolerance for Ambiguity

In The Good Spy, Kai Bird documents the life of CIA agent Robert Ames, a sincere and unlikely mediator in the Middle East.

Jul 29, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Cecilia D’Anastasio

Great War: The Insane and Familiar ‘War Madness’ of 1914

Great War: The Insane and Familiar ‘War Madness’ of 1914 Great War: The Insane and Familiar ‘War Madness’ of 1914

"About nothing does the mob forget so quickly as about war."

Jul 28, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Richard Kreitner

Writers or Missionaries?

Writers or Missionaries? Writers or Missionaries?

A reporter’s journey involves writing with a sense of history and without false consolation.

Jul 15, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Adam Shatz

Bastille Day, Individualism and the Concept of Progress—in 1939

Bastille Day, Individualism and the Concept of Progress—in 1939 Bastille Day, Individualism and the Concept of Progress—in 1939

Reflections on the meaning of the French Revolution in the shadow of Adolf Hitler.

Jul 14, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Richard Kreitner

Endgame?

Endgame? Endgame?

How the rhetoric of ecoetiquette muddies writing about global warming.

Jul 2, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow

Shelf Life

Shelf Life Shelf Life

Nadifa Mohamed’s The Orchard of Lost Souls is a haunting and powerful novel.

Jul 2, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Thier

Sweeter Than the Sweet

Sweeter Than the Sweet Sweeter Than the Sweet

For the Staple Singers and Stax Records, political engagement flowed from an artistic renaissance.

Jul 2, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Cohen

Great War: The Immediate Response to Franz Ferdinand’s Assassination, 100 Years Ago Today

Great War: The Immediate Response to Franz Ferdinand’s Assassination, 100 Years Ago Today Great War: The Immediate Response to Franz Ferdinand’s Assassination, 100 Years Ago Today

The Nation’s predictive capacities were pretty mixed.

Jun 28, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Richard Kreitner

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