Books Briefing

Rewriting the History of American Food

Our national cuisine has roots much deeper than the contributions of any individual icon: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• November 26, 2021

The Literary Politician

When political figures make art, the resulting works usually reveal more about their creators than they do about our government: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• November 19, 2021

A Better Way to Write About Sex

Works that question how we think about love and desire: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• November 12, 2021

A New Way to Look at the Natural World

A defamiliarizing eclipse, a sunbathing cormorant, trees that sing, and more: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• November 5, 2021

Talking to Strangers Is Good For You

We have much to learn from conversations with people we don’t know: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• October 29, 2021

Why Childhood Friendships Feel So Intoxicating

Works that meditate on the intense bonds forged in our early years: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• October 22, 2021

The Books Briefing: The Fight Over What Kids Can Read

Bans and attempted bans of critical race theory and the 1619 Project in classrooms are part of a familiar pattern: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• October 15, 2021

The Books Briefing: Comics Can Push—And Draw—Boundaries

See you in the funny pages: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Mary Stachyra Lopez
• October 8, 2021

The Books Briefing: The Essential Qualities of a Book

The case for and against e-readers: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Tori Latham
• October 1, 2021

The Books Briefing: A Better Way to Write About Crime

Works that critique police brutality, racism, and our obsession with true crime: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• September 24, 2021

The Books Briefing: Boundaries Between Humans and Machines Are Vanishing

Works that consider the implications of a life so intimately tied with technology: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• September 17, 2021

The Books Briefing: The Uneasy Place of Politics in Fiction

Sally Rooney’s novels have long been criticized as insufficiently political, but reconciling ideology and storytelling has always been a thorny issue for writers.

• Kate Cray
• September 10, 2021

The Books Briefing: Language Can Build Community—Or Sow Division

Unique ways of communicating help families grow closer; they’re also a powerful tool for cults: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• September 3, 2021

The Books Briefing: Cultivate a Love of Reading Early On

Educators and parents alike play important roles in developing kids’ appreciation for literature: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Tori Latham
• August 27, 2021

The Books Briefing: How Fan Fiction Reimagines the Writing Process

The entire enterprise is deeply collaborative, resulting in works that are shaped by the original author, the fan, and online communities of readers: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• August 20, 2021

The Books Briefing: Books to Get Lost in This Summer

Recommendations for wherever you prefer to devour hundreds of pages in a single sitting, whether it’s at the beach or in your home.

• The Atlantic Culture Desk
• August 13, 2021

The Books Briefing: What the Best Translations Share

Rendering a work in a new language often becomes a collaboration between the interpreter and the original text: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• August 6, 2021

The Books Briefing: The Many Sides of Identity

Works that illuminate the intricacies of how we form communities and relate to one another: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• July 30, 2021

The Books Briefing: The Dark Side of Athletic Perfection

Technical optimization seems to be threatening the humanity of sports—but moments of passion still peek through: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• July 23, 2021

The Books Briefing: What the Best Travel Writing Can Do

The most enduring works in the genre offer far more than practical guidance: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• July 16, 2021