Readings

Ethical Pearls

The Oysters of Locmariaquer, published half a century ago, feels like a precursor to the work of Eula Biss and Leslie Jamison—minus the modern worry over the possible harm of such storytelling.

Trauma is the Truth Worth Talking About

If the central political questions of our time are inescapably personal, how can we dismiss arguments for being "too emotional"?

Bleak Chic

Our books, movies, and television shows are arguably bleaker than ever. What's behind the encroaching, thickening darkness?

Alone in a Different Reality

In Andrew O'Hagan's The Illuminations, a woman struggles watching her mother enter the early stages of dementia. But can a different reality be a better place to live?

Dry January: A Failure

A cleanse should help you cherish the glory of a healthy body. But what if it just makes you fixate on the toxins you can't quite rid yourself of?

'I Don't Think We Remember it the Same Way'

Ava DuVernay's Selma is more analytical than the average biopic—a negotiation between complex and intersecting histories, rather than a simple dramatic restaging.

The Monstrous Cruelty of a Just World

It's easy to want to believe that everything happens for a reason, but how does that affect the way we treat the people the universe has punished?

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‘I’m Okay, Are You Okay?’: An Interview with Bruce McCulloch

The Canadian comedy fixture on punk rock, drunk dads, and adapting his life for stage and screen.

Frustrate Your Intuitions: On Michael DeForge's First Year Healthy

In the Ant Colony author's new book, a woman's release from a hospital stay precipitates murder, mystery, and the urban stalking of a strange, mythical cat. Well ... possibly, anyway.

What's the Point of Arguing?

In David Shields and Caleb Powell's I Think You’re Totally Wrong: A Quarrel, a problem involving doors and goats shows what arguments are really about.