How genetics is profoundly changing our definition of disease and the way we treat disease, but is also raising new ethical questions. A talk with oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee about his new book The Gene.
Linguist Geoff Nunberg considers the proper terminology for describing white-collar fraudster Bernie Madoff, from the Dickensian "scoundrel" to the plebeian "scumbag."
In the new film Grey Gardens, Drew Barrymore plays Little Edie Beale, the legendary eccentric made famous in the 1975 documentary of the same title. HBO's dramatization premieres April 18.
Actor Gary Cole who plays a political consultant and polling expert with no people skills on the HBO show Veep, and he played an smarmy boss on the cult hit Office Space discusses his work.
Graphic novelist Daniel Clowes, best known for his graphic novel Ghost World, has a new book, Patience, a love story that was five years in the making. In it, Clowes uses time travel to explore themes like tragedy and regret.
A 2015 report by the Vera Institute of Justice finds that local jails have become a warehouse for people too poor to pay even low bail and for the mentally ill, creating a downward spiral for those who are confined as well as for their families and communities. A talk with the co-author of the report Nancy Fishman.
Will Toledo, the singer-songwriter who performs under the name Car Seat Headrest, is ambitious and passionate on his new album. Critic Ken Tucker says the record will make you want to sing along.
Author Bronwen Dickey says the idea of pit bulls as predators is based on myth and misinformation. In the early Hollywood era, Dickey says, the dogs were often chosen to appear in comedies.
Carter's influence on pop and soul predates his best-known hit, "Patches," and is still felt today. Rock historian Ed Ward revisits the early career and the lasting impact of the expert songwriter.
In Jennifer Haigh's new novel Heat & Light she examines what happens when fracking comes to a small Pennsylvania town. Maureen Corrigan describes the book as Haigh's "most ambitious - and compelling - novel yet."
The Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Empire Falls says his characters are inspired by his parents' working-class World War II generation. Russo's new novel is set in a small town in upstate New York.
The first generation of Star Trek actors is old or gone, so Paramount, eager to relaunch their franchise, tapped director J.J. Abrams for a new incarnation. David Edelstein reviews the film.
Jazz stars David Murray, Geri Allen and Terri Lyne Carrington first played together last year in New York. Now they come together with the new album, Perfection. Critic Kevin Whitehead has a review
The new movie from Marvel Studios features almost all the members of the Avengers superhero collective. Critic David Edelstein calls it an irresistible hodgepodge of special effects and superheroes.
The pop star's latest release extols the potency of black womanhood in the roles of mother, wife, lover and artist. Rock critic Ken Tucker calls Lemonade a feat of "invention and imagination."
Historian Frank Dikötter says newly opened archives offer fresh details about the chaos China experienced in the 1960s, when Chairman Mao urged students to take to the streets.
Growing up in the tribal region of Pakistan, Maria Toorpakai pretended she was a boy in order to compete as a weightlifter. Later she became an internationally known squash player.
