Books Briefing
Our culture editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for the newsletter here.
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Wheatfield / Getty Try Listening to Your Literature
Audiobooks are less demanding—and maybe that’s a good thing.
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Gilles Peress / Magnum The Powerful Weirdness of Cormac McCarthy
On the death of a singular writer
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Bettmann/Getty He saw ‘Redemption Where Others See Brimstone’
The humor and darkness of Charles Portis
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Rafal Milach / Magnum A Nobel Laureate Walks Into a Supermarket
Annie Ernaux on the malaise of the grocery store
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Martin Parr / Magnum What You Should Be Reading This Summer
20 books to match some warm-weather moods
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Photo-illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Wikipedia Can We Really Know the Figures of the Past?
Turning history into a juicy story is a risky endeavor: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Illustration by The Atlantic How to Write About a Changing World
As the new ecological status quo emerges, we’ll all need to rethink our place on the planet: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: CSA Images / … What Authors Know About the Power of Words
Our means of communication are changing rapidly: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Bruce Burkhardt / … Make Room for More Voices in Philosophy
With a wider canon, enlightenment could come from anywhere: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Art Zelin / Getty The Trap of Celebrity
It’s not easy to balance a carefully planned public image with authentic vulnerability—even the most open stars have to think about their narrative: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Illustration by Matt Chase / The Atlantic. Source: … The Empty Promise of Good Intentions
Even when motives are pure, altruism is too often insufficient: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Matt Cardy / Getty When the Human and the Artificial Collide
Our fears about technology reflect what we value about personhood: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Bruce Davidson / Magnum What California Means to Writers
Writers have long found inspiration in the Golden State: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Photo-illustration by Joanne Imperio / The Atlantic. Source: … Learn Your Family’s History
Ordinary photos and stories can connect you with your roots: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Illustration by Matt Chase / The Atlantic The Gift of Rereading
Returning to a book you’ve already finished is an underrated pursuit in a fast-paced world: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Philippe Halsman / Magnum The Value in Decoding Fairy Tales
The simple logic of a fable can reveal something bigger about our culture: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Barbara Alper / Getty The Importance of the Coming-of-Age Novel
The transitions from child to teenager and teenager to adult are full of triumphs and struggles.
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David Turnley / Getty How Should We Teach the Story of Our Country?
Book bans and restrictive laws are threatening to warp the version of American history that kids learn in school: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Tyler Comrie / The Atlantic; Getty The Wholly Human Art of Poetry
What truly elevates verse is not just what we write but also what inspires us to write it: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Corbis via Getty What Politicians’ Libraries Tell Us
What, and whether, our world leaders read provides crucial insight into their minds and priorities.
