Books
Thomas Edison’s Greatest Invention
It wasn’t the light bulb or the phonograph or the moving picture—or anything tangible. It was a way of thinking about technology.
Three new books explore the variety of transgender experiences.
The Blondie singer’s memoir, Face It, wryly recounts making the most of being ogled.
The Books Briefing: The Revolution Will Be Written About
“Show me what democracy looks like.” Your weekly guide to the best in books.
Deborah Levy’s Disorienting, Captivating Fiction
The British novelist’s wry books veer from concrete realism to fractured blends of dream and memory.
Sandra Boynton’s Captivating Universe
Her picture books have sold 75 million copies in the past four decades. What’s the secret to her far-reaching appeal?
The Comic That Explains Where Joker Went Wrong
Alan Moore’s classic 1988 story, Batman: The Killing Joke, was an inspiration for Todd Phillips’s grim new film—but not in the one way that really mattered.
The Books Briefing: Remembering Pain on the Page
“The art’s existence is beautiful. But it shouldn’t have to exist at all.” Your weekly guide to the best in books.
The Paradox at the Heart of Know My Name
Chanel Miller’s memoir, like the show Unbelievable, is a reminder of the painful alchemy that turns trauma into art.
Tegan and Sara Rewrite the Queer Coming-of-Age Story
By revisiting their teen years, the rock duo’s new memoir, High School, and album, Hey, I’m Just Like You, dismantle cultural clichés about adolescence.
What Ta-Nehisi Coates Wants to Remember
The writer’s debut novel, The Water Dancer, is a fantastical love story that seeks to illuminate the forgotten emotional tolls of slavery. “This just wasn’t a physical horror. It broke families,” Coates told The Atlantic.
Neil Young’s Boring, Prophetic Message to Readers
The musician wrote his new book, To Feel the Music, the same way he makes records—according to a highly evolved aesthetic of half-assedness.
The Books Briefing: On Growing Old and Growing Up
Not the same old stories: Your weekly guide to the best in books
How to Write the Book No One Wants You to Write
Sarah M. Broom’s The Yellow House is a feat—a memoir and historical narrative created amid governmental bureaucracy and resistance from some of her subjects.
Nature Writing That Sees Possibility in Climate Change
A pair of authors tries to maintain optimism about the world’s changing landscapes—but at what cost?
The Books Briefing: Where Books and TV Intersect
From the page to the screen, and back: your weekly guide to the best in books
How Brett Kavanaugh Got the Last Laugh
Far beyond the news it breaks, The Education of Brett Kavanaugh is a grim reminder: Many Americans still doubt the seriousness of sexual-misconduct allegations.
The Books Briefing: Campus Life Is Full of Plot Twists
Please turn to the next page in your syllabus: your weekly guide to the best in books.
Ben Lerner, portraitist of talkative men, explores the roots of white male rage.
The Plan to Make Harvey Weinstein a Hero
She Said, the behind-the-scenes telling of one of #MeToo’s most consequential journalistic stories, treats villainy as a systemic proposition.