The Publishing Mystery That No One Wants to Talk About
A minimally speaking autistic man just wrote a best-selling book. Or did he?
What To Read
The Paradox of Modern Medicine
Testing has become so advanced that doctors now miss important elements of diagnosis.
What Does Lena Dunham Want to Tell Us?
Her new memoir captures the cost of being an impossibly popular target.
The Eighth Deadly Sin
Humankind has devised a new form of debasement.
The Seinfeld Theory of Fiction
Annoying characters let us admit that we might be annoying too.
Fortunes
A short story
The Honor of the Layward Brothers
A short story
We Are Not One
A short story
Seven Books That Actually Capture What Sickness Is Like
These titles aren’t interested in sticking to a simple narrative about sickness and health—they explore the textures of human life.
Seven Books That Will Make You Rethink Your Relationship to Nature
These titles remind us that our connection to the Earth is inescapable.
The Atlantic 10
The books that made us think the most this year
Six Books That Might Change How You Think About Mental Illness
These individual, honest narratives can help dislodge oversimplifications about mental health.
Eight Books That Explain How the World Works
Technologies such as skyscrapers, airplanes, and sewage systems are fundamental—and confusing. These titles explain how they actually work.
Six Books That Will Scare You—And Make You Think
Black writers have long used science fiction, fantasy, and horror to dramatize the terrors of racism or to tell frightening tales.
Stop Doomscrolling About Israel and Palestine—Read These Books Instead
The Atlantic’s books editor prescribes these titles as antidotes to the quick and dirty ways people are communicating on social media.
A Book That Changed How I Think
Our writers and editors share one title that granted them a fresh perspective.
Nine Books That Push Against the Status Quo
These titles demand a clear-eyed look at things people too often take for granted.
Six Books to Read When You Want to Feel Closer to Others
The following six titles are correctives to isolation.