On The Black Skyscraper: An Interview with Literary Critic Adrienne Brown
Early skyscrapers changed the ways we see race, how we see bodies, how we perceive and make judgments about people in the world.
Has Louisiana Changed, Post-Katrina?
Eleven years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the city and some of its citizens remain in precarious recovery.
A Novel Defense of the Internet
Novel reading was once regarded as an idle occupation, just as Internet use is now.
Russia, China, and Patty Hearst
News books from Han Han, Jeffrey Tobin, Lara Vapnyar, and more with related links to JSTOR.
Has the Famous Populist “Cross of Gold” Speech Been Unfairly Tarred by Anti-Semitism?
July 9 marks the 120th anniversary of Populist leader William Jennings Bryan’s famous "Cross of Gold" speech at the 1896 Democratic National Convention.
Tig Notaro, Annie Proulx, and More
Our Friday Reads rounds up five new books out this week, and links to related content you won't find anywhere else.
Are We Entering a New Golden Age of Guano?
A history of civilization could be written in fertilizers. And the history of guano—bird poop—tells us a lot about slavery, imperialism, and U.S. expansion.
Planned Parenthood Gunman Robert Dear’s “Idiosyncratic” Faith
Planned Parenthood gunman Robert Dear has been pigeonholed for his "idiosyncratic" faith. But it's very much a part of the American evangelical tradition.
Deportation: A History
Operation Wetback was another example of deportation being used as a social and political method of control.
The Immortal Life of Joice Heth: How P. T. Barnum Used an Elderly Slave To Launch His Career
P. T. Barnum's career as a Kentucky show man began with his ownership and exploitation of African American slave Joice Heth.