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Books

Reviews, essays, and literary criticism

Lead Story

What the Novel Cannot Do

The novel has always been the art form most committed to individual consciousness. In an age that doubts the coherence of the self, that commitment has become a problem.

William KesslerMarch 10, 2026
Books

Why the Memoir Conquered American Literature

First-person nonfiction has become the dominant literary form of the past two decades. What this says about what we want from reading — and what we may be losing.

Aiko Tanaka11 min
Books

The Poverty of the Self-Help Shelf

American self-help has always promised more than it can deliver. What's changed is that it has stopped promising the right things.

William Kessler11 min
Books

The Great American Novel Is Still Possible

Every decade announces the death of serious fiction. Every decade is wrong. What the current moment in American letters actually looks like — from inside it.

Aiko Tanaka11 min
Books

History Books in a Political Season

When historians write about the past, they are always partly writing about the present. The current wave of popular history reveals what we are most anxious about — and what we are most determined to avoid seeing.

Aiko Tanaka11 min