Books and Ideas

Is the History of American Art a History of Failure?

Is the History of American Art a History of Failure? Is the History of American Art a History of Failure?

Sara Marcus’s recent book argues that from the Reconstruction to the AIDS era, a distinct aesthetic formed around defeat in the realm of politics.

Jul 31, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Lynne Feeley

How Stan Lee Became the Face of an Exploitative Industry

How Stan Lee Became the Face of an Exploitative Industry How Stan Lee Became the Face of an Exploitative Industry

The Marvel editor became a Hollywood icon by claiming credit for other people’s creations.

Jul 28, 2023 / Jeet Heer

What Happened to Peter Handke?

What Happened to Peter Handke? What Happened to Peter Handke?

How an artist obsessed with interiority and language become a literary pariah. 

Jul 26, 2023 / Books & the Arts / David Schurman Wallace

Former vice president Mike Pence

The Pence Campaign Struggles The Pence Campaign Struggles

Jul 25, 2023 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Just Can’t Stop

Just Can’t Stop Just Can’t Stop

Exxon sing-along! 

Jul 21, 2023 / OppArt / Ben Hillman

black and white photo of j. robert oppenheimer testifying before the senate

Even as the Oppenheimer Film Rights a Historic Wrong, the Memo That Smeared Him Remains Redacted Even as the Oppenheimer Film Rights a Historic Wrong, the Memo That Smeared Him Remains Redacted

The physicist was punished for opposing development of the hydrogen bomb, and for warning about the dangers of nuclear proliferation.

Jul 21, 2023 / Peter Shinkle

“Bidenomics” vs. “Reaganomics”

“Bidenomics” vs. “Reaganomics” “Bidenomics” vs. “Reaganomics”

What will it take for Biden’s economic agenda to transform the political landscape the way to Reagan’s did?

Jul 21, 2023 / Mike Konczal

Orphans, Girl sewing in a room in an orphanage, Victorian, German 19th Centur

The Problem of the Orphan Plot The Problem of the Orphan Plot

The child welfare system has served as a convenient narrative device for novels, podcasts, and the like. A new book interrogates what we think we know about foster care.

Jul 20, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Emi Nietfeld

Martha Graham performing in 1962.

Martha Graham’s Movement Martha Graham’s Movement

A recent biography dives into the choreographer's role as both an artist and figure of early American modernism.

Jul 19, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Emily Hawk

Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) attends a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee markup on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.

Josh Hawley Gets an “F” in American History Josh Hawley Gets an “F” in American History

The senator from Missouri is spreading misinformation about the past in order to put a Christian nationalist spin on the present.

Jul 13, 2023 / John Nichols

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