Books and Ideas

Wishful Thinking Wishful Thinking

In early 1966, Leonard Bernstein threw a birthday party for Dmitri Shostakovich in Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall.

Apr 15, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Paul Mitchinson

Eugene McCarthy: 1916-2005 Eugene McCarthy: 1916-2005

Eugene McCarthy, the Senate dove who in 1968 challenged Lyndon Johnson's conduct of the Vietnam War, died Saturday at the age of 89. In this 2004 review of Dominic Sandbrook's biog...

Apr 15, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Jon Wiener

Why Brown Still Matters Why Brown Still Matters

Fifty years ago, African-Americans and fellow progressives hailed Brown v. Board of Education as a conclusive turning point in the struggle for racial equality.

Apr 15, 2004 / Books & the Arts / David J. Garrow

Brown v. Board of Education: The Climax of an Era Brown v. Board of Education: The Climax of an Era

The Supreme Court says separate but equal is inherently unequal.

Apr 14, 2004 / Editorial / Various Contributors

What Are They Reading? What Are They Reading?

Since I'm from California, I sometimes dare to dispute the seemingly popular East Coast belief that my home state is a cultural wasteland.

Apr 13, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Abby Aguirre

L’Amérique, Mon Amour L’Amérique, Mon Amour

Along with the Bible and Moby-Dick, Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America has got to be one of the world's least-read classics.

Apr 8, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Lazare

Prison Without Walls Prison Without Walls

Our nation's two-decade spree of building prisons and sentencing even nonviolent criminals to long spells inside them has produced a staggering number of incarcerated people in A...

Apr 8, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Egan

Empty Vessel Empty Vessel

For a man who destroyed his country and wrecked or stole hundreds of thousands of lives, Slobodan Milosevic is an oddly colorless villain.

Apr 1, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Laura Secor

Everybody’s Talking About the Weather Everybody’s Talking About the Weather

The last few years have seen renewed interest in the Weathermen.

Mar 30, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Jeremy Varon

In America In America

If the words "first novel" and "arrival of a major American talent" appear on the front flap of a dust jacket, you can almost be sure that the picture on the back flap will depic...

Mar 25, 2004 / Books & the Arts / Philip Connors

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