Seven Books That Demystify Human Behavior
Other people can be baffling; these titles attempt to unravel a bit of their mystery.
AI Is Coming for Amateur Novelists. That’s Fine.
An annual speed-writing contest lets in the robot overlords, and I, for one, welcome them.
The Nearly Impossible Task of Describing Pain
Garth Greenwell’s latest novel finds the language to capture the ineffable human experience of serious illness.
Rachel Kushner’s Surprising Swerve
She and her narrators have always relied on swagger—but not this time.
In the Time of Dying, Meet Me
A poem for Sunday
The Worst Way to Change Minds
When religious certainty is challenged, some leaders appeal to fear—but persuasion works better.
What a 100-Year-Old Trial Reveals About America
A new book on the Scopes case traces a long-simmering culture war—and the fear that often drives both sides.
Why Did This Progressive Evangelical Church Fall Apart?
In her new book, Eliza Griswold examines the forces that led to one congregation’s collapse.
Keepsake
A poem for Wednesday
The Electric Feeling of Summer Romance
Ruby Opalka’s “Spit,” a new short story in The Atlantic, captures the intensity of young love.
When Victimhood Takes a Bad-Faith Turn
Wronged explores how the practice of claiming harm has become the rhetorical province of the powerful.
Poem With the Last Line as the First
For Sunday
Go Ahead, Put Down That Book
There’s no reason to agonize over the titles you don’t finish.
Who’s Normal Now?
At the convention, Democrats are working to reclaim the flip side of weird.
When Is It Okay to Not Finish a Book?
How to decide to put down a book—without all the angst
When Wellness Can’t Bring Happiness
A provocative 1970s novel reads like a contemporary cry for freedom from the expectations of others.
Shore Birds
Published in The Atlantic in 1998
Why Some #MeToo Fiction Puts Men Center Stage
Mary Gaitskill’s 2019 novella, This Is Pleasure, makes readers consider whether including male voices can help us understand women’s stories.
A Vision of England Today, Dark and Rotten
With Andrew O’Hagan’s new book, the British state-of-the-nation novel gets an update.
A Memoir About Recovering From Men
Anna Marie Tendler’s mordant account of her life suggests a single source for her pain.
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