The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It by Richard Hofstadter (Vintage, $15). These brilliantly crafted and iconoclastic biographical essays illuminate important American political figures, including FDR, Wilson, TR, Lincoln, and the Founders. A classic by a great historian.
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Pearl Harbor: Warning and Decision by Roberta Wohlstetter (Stanford, $28). Anyone who believes that public officials can safely guard against surprise attacks—or terrorism—will do well to read this book, a highly informed account of the formidable obstacles to the gathering and analysis of intelligence about Japanese intentions prior to Pearl Harbor.
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Picador, $14). A moving recent novel that captures the emotions and concerns of an Iowa man in the 1950s; from there it transports us imaginatively to the rural worlds of his father and grandfather, who fought in the Civil War. Robinson is wonderful at evoking the time and place of her characters.
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe (Bantam, $15). This is Wolfe at his best. The book, focusing on America’s early space program, is more broadly a shrewd, often hilariously funny commentary on American culture in the 1950s.
U.S.A. by John Dos Passos (Library of America, $40). A trilogy of innovative novels by one of America’s leading writers of the 1920s and ’30s. They offer a dazzling, often deeply critical view of American life—as well as impressionistic brief biographies of important early-20th-century figures.
From Jim Crow to Civil Rights: The Supreme Court and the Struggle for Racial Equality
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How clean-air efforts may have exacerbated global warmingUnder the Radar Air pollution artificially cooled the Earth, ‘masking’ extent of temperature increase
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September 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
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Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
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Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is moreFeature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
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Keith McNally's 6 favorite books that have ambitious charactersFeature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
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Garrett Graff's 6 favorite books that shine new light on World War IIFeature The author recommends works by James D. Hornfischer, Craig L. Symonds, and more
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Helen Schulman's 6 favorite collections of short storiesFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Raymond Carver, James Baldwin, and more
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Beatriz Williams' 6 timeless books about history and human relationshipsFeature The best-selling author recommends works by Jane Austen, Zora Neale Hurston, and more
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Aysegul Savas' 6 favorite books for readers who love immersive settingsFeature The Paris-based Turkish author recommends works by Hiromi Kawakami, Virginia Woolf, and more
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Geoff Dyer's 6 favorite books about the realities of warFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Ernie Pyle, Michael Herr, and more
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Laura Lippman's 6 favorite books for those who crave a high-stakes adventureFeature The Grand Master recommends works by E.L. Konigsburg, Charles Portis, and more
