The Global History Behind 'Build the Wall!'
Since ancient times, border walls have simultaneously assuaged and stoked our fears of outsiders. But a history of walls can't tell the full story of civilization.
Book Reviews
What Happens When a Black Man Tries to Embrace White Gun Culture
RJ Young's memoir recounts how he tried to endear himself to his white in-laws by learning how to shoot. Both love affairs eventually fell apart.
A Cure for White Fragility
A new book argues that we can't overcome racism unless white people are willing to be a little uncomfortable.
Keeping Up With the Bundys: What Really Happened at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge
A new book with an imperfect narrator demonstrates the benefits—and limits—of taking right-wing extremists at their word.
How America Uses Digital Tools to Punish Its Poor
A new book argues that America uses digital tools to sequester and punish its poorest citizens. But can we really blame technology?
Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation
Political writer Liza Featherstone uses focus groups as a lens on the past, present, and future of the American project.
Have Recreational Vehicles Killed the American Dream?
In her new book, journalist Jessica Bruder argues that, in post-2008 America, the nostalgic vision of RVs and other "wheel estate" is incomplete.
Derailing Stereotypes of Masculinity, Queerness, and Gang Violence
In her new book, Vanessa Panfil offers a detailed and nuanced portrayal of homosexual life among gangs in Ohio.
How the U.S. Government Segregated America
Richard Rothstein's magisterial new book tracks how the government segregated America—and how new policy, and new education, could save us.
Confronting Race and Colonialism in Contemporary America
In his latest book, Chris Hayes urges white Americans to take black suffering seriously.
What 'Stand Your Ground' Really Means
A new book traces the legal history of self-defense in America—and shows how laws for self-protection have been generally reserved for whites.