Books and Ideas

Samuel Ringgold Ward.

The Many Lives of Samuel Ringgold Ward The Many Lives of Samuel Ringgold Ward

Books & the Arts / October 18, 2023 The Creed of Liberty The remarkable life of Samuel Ringgold Ward. The Many Lives of Samuel Ringgold Ward R.J.M. Blackett’s new biography…

Oct 18, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Kellie Carter Jackson

The Latin School Teacher Who Made Classics Popular

The Latin School Teacher Who Made Classics Popular The Latin School Teacher Who Made Classics Popular

A new biography of Edith Hamilton tells the story of how and why ancient literature became widely read in the United States.

Oct 17, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Emily Wilson

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell arrives at a gathering of supporters of former US president Donald Trump.

Nothing Under the Pillow Nothing Under the Pillow

Oct 17, 2023 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Left to right: Ayman Mohyeldin, Ali Melshi, and Mehdi Hasan.

The Fight Over MSNBC’s Cave-in to Islamophobia The Fight Over MSNBC’s Cave-in to Islamophobia

Amid war fever and bigoted violence, we have to combat media cowardice.

Oct 16, 2023 / Jeet Heer

How Everything Became Data

How Everything Became Data How Everything Became Data

Starting with the birth of statistics in the 19th century and concluding with algorithms and AI systems, a new book examines how humans became studied as a set of ones and zeroes....

Oct 16, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Ben Tarnoff

Cambodia is afflicted with some of the highest concentrations of land mineson earth.

Cambodia Is Teaching the World How to Clear Land Mines Cambodia Is Teaching the World How to Clear Land Mines

The country’s history of bombardment has led it to develop expertise in the dangerous, delicate business of removing these hidden threats.

Oct 14, 2023 / Feature / Moustafa Bayoumi

The London offices of Penguin Random House.

The Haunting of the Publishing House The Haunting of the Publishing House

The racism and prejudice of the industry has been the subject of recent novels. In R.F. Kuang's Yellowface, that plot becomes a horror story.

Oct 13, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Laura B. McGrath

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, 2023, in New York City.

Israel’s Response to Its 9/11 Risks Missing the Lessons of America’s 9/11 Israel’s Response to Its 9/11 Risks Missing the Lessons of America’s 9/11

Ignoring intelligence failures and doubling down on bad policy is the worst response to terrorism.

Oct 9, 2023 / Jeet Heer

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s Art of Disobedience Oscar Wilde’s Art of Disobedience

Revisiting his critical writing, we learn a valuable lesson about the critic’s role in refusing bad taste and bad politics.

Oct 9, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Rachel Vorona Cote

Harry G. Barnes meeting with Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

The American Ambassador Who Helped Stop a Coup in Chile The American Ambassador Who Helped Stop a Coup in Chile

Everyone knows how Nixon and Kissinger paved Pinochet’s path to power. The story of Harry Barnes, who played a crucial role in the Chilean dictator’s exit, is much less well known...

Oct 5, 2023 / Peter Kornbluh

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