Caroline Shaw and the Shock of the New

The Pulitzer Prize–winning composer turns the history of the string quartet upside down, turning a once fusty form into something adventurous. 

David Hajdu

Half a Century Before Colin Kaepernick, Jackie Robinson Said, ‘I Cannot Stand and Sing the Anthem.’

A segregationist senator tried to use Robinson to destroy Paul Robeson. Instead, Robinson called out racism.

Peter Dreier

With Its Nuanced Portrayal of Asian American Life, ‘The Farewell’ Shines

Lulu Wang and Awkwafina’s new film shows that complex and diverse Asian American films can succeed in the mainstream.

Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

The Migrant Crisis, Through the Eyes of Human Traffickers

Emiliano Monge’s novel Among the Lost leads a reader through the hellish migrant trail from the perspective of its most amoral agents.

John Washington

Solvitur Ambulando

Timothy Donnelly

Letters From the July 29-August 5, 2019, Issue

Our Readers

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Calvin Trillin

Nancy Pelosi Is Playing the Extremely Long Game

Doing nothing is all part of the plan.

Tom Tomorrow

There’s One Heresy That Sets Bernie Apart From All Other Dem Contenders to Unseat Trump

And it’s not simply that he calls himself a socialist.

Greg Grandin

Is ‘Veep’ Still Funny?

The show’s vicious political satire defined a decade of comedy, but its last season lacked the same punch.

Erin Schwartz