December 2009

Hanna Rosin asks, Did Christianity cause the crash?; David Dobbs on the science of success; Philip Caputo on Mexico's drug wars; Benjamin Schwarz selects the twenty-five best books of the year; Sandra Tsing Loh on being a bad mother; and much more.

The Atlantic - December 2009

Also in this issue

Letters to the editor

What’s Your Problem?

How to start your own advice column, whether to clean the hotel room before the maid arrives, and other conundrums

Features

Did Christianity Cause the Crash?

For millions of followers, the prosperity gospel encouraged financial risk in the name of God.

The Science of Success

New neurological findings suggest that “bad genes” can in fact be the keys to adult achievement—but only with the right parenting.
Video: Researcher Stephen Suomi explains why monkeys with risky genes often turn out just fine

The Fall of Mexico

The government’s assault on drug cartels has become an amorphous civil war that threatens to bring down the nation. A report from the front lines.
Slideshow: Photographer Juliàn Cardona shares grim images from Juàrez

How Einstein Divided America's Jews

The physicist’s first trip to the U.S. placed him at the center of contentious debates over Zionism.

The Trial of Thomas Lubanga

In Congo, victims question the justice of prosecuting war criminals.

Dispatches

The Tijuana of the Caspian

At the border between Azerbaijan and Iran, everything’s for sale: sex, booze, tattoos—and maybe some revolutionary fervor.

Ground War

Army’s best option for finally beating Navy

Frenemies of the State

Once the most outspoken critic of Zimbabwe’s government, David Coltart is now on the inside

The Great Guinea Hen Massacre

Good intentions collide with dumb birds on a small farm in Pennsylvania.

A Winter’s Tale

Squaw Valley celebrates its Olympics, 50 years later.

Who Needs the Grid?

A new fuel-cell technology promises to revolutionize access to cheap, clean energy.

Books

Books of the Year

Atlantic literary editor Benjamin Schwarz picks the 25 best in a crowded field

The Zealot

Arthur Koestler’s manic intellectual career

Cover to Cover

America's birth certificate revealed; paradoxical Pops; and more

Columns

Lead Us Not Into Debt

Finance guru Dave Ramsey wins followers with a simple message: find God and lose your credit cards.

Double-X Films

Not just chick flicks, the movies of Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers defy categorization and provide a sentimental education for everyone.
Video: James Parker comments on his favorite scenes from When Harry Met Sally and What Women Want


Video

Miami: The Next Big Start-Up City?

How the city became a center for innovation

Video

Video

A Brief History of Romantic Comedies

From The Atlantic's Chris Orr

Video

Life in 'the New Arctic'

A moving portrait of a fading landscape

Video

Video

The Rise of New York City

A fascinating look at Manhattan in the 1940s

Video

What Is Methane Hydrate?

"Flaming ice" is a vast natural energy source

Video

NASA's Time-Lapse of the Sun

Now with epic dubstep music

Video

Shaken Not Tuned: Cocktail Experiments

Can a tuning fork improve a cocktail?

Video

Video

Is He Cheating? A 1950s Guide

'That little blonde secretary from the office?’

Video

New Yorkers: Vintage Vacuum-Tube Amps

Risking electric shock to restore old amplifiers

Video

The DIY Piano-Bicycle

Everybody needs a hobby

Video

What Does It Take to Make Real Craft Gin?

Tour the Green Hat Gin distillery

Video

What Straights Can Learn From Same-Sex Couples

New insight from decades of research

Video

The End of the Mall Rat

A tribute to that pillar of teen culture

Video

The Wonderful World of Capitalism

An adorable 1950s cartoon

Video

New Yorkers: Miss New York USA

An unconventional beauty queen.

Writers

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