The classic coming-to-New-York story was a mashup of a few pleasurably predictable elements: a young person with dreams bigger than his or her bank account, a few roach-ridden apartments and crummy jobs, some eccentric friends and neighbors, and a couple of requisite hard knocks before ... success!
Former Daily Show correspondent Jordan Klepper remembers a time, not so long ago, when he was barely aware of far-right media outlets like Alex Jones' Infowars and Breitbart News. That changed during the 2016 presidential race.
America's war in Afghanistan is the longest war the U.S. has ever fought. Beginning a month after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the initial mission was to remove the Taliban from power and destroy the al-Qaida terror network. Now, nearly 17 years later, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll points out that the war's goals have changed.
If you're a fan of thrillers, you know that they're defined by two extremes. At one end are the plot-driven worlds that work like clockwork machines (for instance, Murder on the Orient Express); at the other are the stories that sprawl outward to offer a portrait of the larger society (like James Ellroy's Los Angeles or Stieg Larsson's Sweden). As it turns out, I've recently come across an enjoyable example of each extreme.
Writer Maggie O'Farrell has survived some terrifying episodes. She's had a machete pressed to her throat during a robbery, once contracted amoebic dysentery while traveling and nearly bled out while giving birth to her first child.
Two lonely people working at a slaughterhouse connect in Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi's film. Reviewer Justin Chang says On Body and Soul is a genteel crowd pleaser that could have been edgier.
Journalist Garrett Graff considers Robert Mueller's tenure as FBI director as a way of understanding his approach to the investigation into the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Ronen Bergman says that while Israel's shootings, poisonings, bombings and drone strikes against its perceived enemies were "tactical successes," they were also diplomatically harmful.
A new reissue catches Montgomery's quartet on their 1965 European tour. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the compilations are elegant and complicated, and you can hear Coltrane's influence throughout.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan has been reading some newly reprinted novels from the Harlem Renaissance. She says these novels about American racism hardly feel dated at all.
Atlantic journalist Franklin Foer says before Manafort became Trump's campaign manager, he rewrote the rules of lobbying and then became entangled in the world of dictators, oligarchs and dirty money.
French filmmaker Philippe Garrel's new film follows a 50-something philosophy professor whose romantic relationship with a 23-year-old student is complicated when his grown daughter moves in.
Dan Diamond, who covers the Dept. of Health and Human Services for Politico, says the number of HHS leaders who previously worked in the anti-abortion and anti-LGBT movement is "unusual and notable."
New York Times reporter John Leland followed six people above the age of 85 for one year. That series changed his understanding of old age — and inspired his book, Happiness is a Choice You Make.
The nominees for the 90th Academy Awards were announced Tuesday, and Paul Thomas Anderson's film Phantom Thread landed six nominations, including best director and best picture.
Leila Slimani's novel, which has just been translated from the French, is inspired by a real life horror: the 2012 murder of two children in New York City by their nanny.
Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt are experts in what makes democracies healthy — and what leads to their collapse. They warn that American democracy is in trouble.
The new album by British songwriter and performer Charli XCX features collaborations with Carly Rae Jepsen, Tove Lo and others. Rock critic Ken Tucker says Pop 2 is highly enjoyable.
Frank, who died on Monday, created the radio drama series Work in Progress and was known for his intimate on-air monologues, sketches and interviews. Originally broadcast in 1989.
