What a Story of 1970s Abortion Activism Can Teach Us Today
For the Jane Collective, organizing safe abortions in pre-Roe America didn’t just serve people in need—it also protected a more hopeful future.
The Kate Bush Resurgence Is a Reminder That We Can Have Nice Things
Songs like “Running Up That Hill” stay in rotation not because of nostalgia but because they’re timeless.
The Black Religion That’s Been Maligned for Centuries
Vodou has been condemned for much of its history. But some Haitian Americans are reclaiming the narrative through their own journeys with spirituality.
The Conservative Women Radicalizing Amish Literature
A growing network of Christian writers is pushing past tradition to broach topics like depression and marital conflict.
Where to Turn When You Feel ‘at Odds With Being Human’
Two recent books find, in the fluidity and endurance of marine life, respite from a world that expects conformity.
History Is Never Only One Person’s Story
A good group biography details with curiosity the ways, trivial and tremendous, that humans influence one another.
Elvis Is Utterly Disorienting. That’s the Point.
Baz Luhrmann’s chaotic, maximalist approach works for one reason: The story of Elvis Presley should be a mess.
Empathy Isn’t Enough
The perils and limits of writing with a moral message: Your weekly guide to the best in books
J. Lo’s Tragic Fame Cycle
Halftime, the Netflix documentary about the performer, posits that rebirth is essential for the modern celebrity—but it takes a hidden toll.
What This Is Going to Hurt Leaves Out
And what the AMC black comedy about a British obstetrician illuminates about women’s health
‘I’ve Seen Several Giants Die on My Land’
A new anthology about climate change acknowledges that we are both willing participants in and at the mercy of the systems that are destroying us.
How Reality Dating Shows Stoke Racial Tensions
Lauren and Cameron, Love Is Blind’s breakout stars, have succeeded not because of the show but in spite of it.
Want Closer Friendships? Move Away From Your Friends.
Distance, as it turns out, isn’t the barrier to deep relationships that some may think.
Welcome to the Summer of Dancing and Darkness
Beyoncé and Drake are turning to house music to encourage listeners to let loose. But are we ready to submit?
The Most American Form of Architecture Isn’t Going Anywhere
A new book challenges the dominant narrative that malls are dying.
A Substitution
A short story
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh on the Performance of Fiction
“There’s no one the fiction writer can hide behind.”
Beware the Luxury Beach Resort
These ostensible paradises have a dark side.
Chris Hemsworth Finds His Villainous Niche
Spiderhead comes so close to making a classic “good vs. evil” story line feel new again.
The Organization of Your Bookshelves Tells Its Own Story
The complexity of the human heart can be expressed in the arrangement of one’s books.