Robert Wright's new book Why Buddhism is True finds connection between Buddhist mindfulness meditation and what evolutionary psychology tells us about how the mind works. He says the practice of meditation as a way to dispel the delusions that make us suffer, is backed up by modern psychology.
Newly released on DVD and Blu-ray, the 1985 film follows a well-heeled LA couple who decide to become free-spirited wanderers. Critic John Powers says Lost In America is a comedy for the ages.
Newman mixes cynicism and romanticism on his first studio album of new material since 2008. Rock critic Ken Tucker says Dark Matter offers a fresh recording of songs both new and old.
Law enforcement agents confront a grim scene on the frozen Wyoming landscape in Taylor Sheridan's new film. Critic David Edelstein says that despite some clumsy plotting, Wind River hits home.
Journalist Bill Moyers once worked as the special assistant to President Johnson, where he witnessed first-hand the political maneuvering that resulted in the landmark health care legislation.
As a climate change activist, former Vice President Al Gore is used to speaking in front of both hostile and friendly audiences. But there is one individual he has all but given up on.
New Yorker staff writer Ariel Levy was five months pregnant when she went to Mongolia on assignment. Her doctor had cleared her for travel, and she was excited to pursue one last adventurous story before settling down with an infant.
It's a time-honored tradition for novelists to draw material from their own lives, and author Tom Perrotta is no exception. His 2004 book, Little Children, sprang from his experience as the parent of young kids. Three years later, he published The Abstinence Teacher, which was inspired, in part, by the junior-high and high-school sports his children played at the time.
In 1942, the Austrian pianist recorded a set of Schubert Impromptus that were never released. Those recordings, plus others from the session, are now available in a new CD set.
Kathryn Bigelow recreates a true, largely forgotten incident of brutality in her latest film. Critic David Edelstein says Detroit triggers a sense of powerlessness that is visceral.
New York Times correspondent Peter Baker has covered the last four presidents. He says President Trump has crossed so many boundaries that "it's easy to become inured to it."
Maureen Corrigan reviews a new biography of Chester Himes, who published his first novel in the 1940s and was hailed as a worthy member of an elite company of black intellectuals and writers like Ralph Ellison and Richard Wright. Now his literary legacy is largely forgotten. This new biography hopes to change that.
Science writer Henry Fountain says the deadly quake that shook Alaska in 1964 was so loud some thought it was the beginning of World War III. His new book is The Great Quake.
Tenor saxophonist JD Allen has been leading a trio with the same musicians for 10 years now. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the group's familiarity helps them hit their groove on Radio Flyer.
Comic Jessica Williams talks about getting hired by The Daily show at the age of 22, while she was still in college, growing up in LA, and not fitting in.
Seeds on Ice author Cary Fowler describes the underground tunnel near the North Pole, which stores and protects a collection of 933,000 samples of different, unique crop varieties.
Katie Crutchfield, who performs under the name Waxahatchee, releases energy and emotion with pinpoint precision on her new album. Critic Ken Tucker has a review.
A new film dramatizes the '40 Allied retreat from the beaches of France as the Nazis close in. Despite strong action sequences, Dunkirk relies too much on fragmented storytelling and obvious plotting.
