The New York Review of Books
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‘The premier literary-intellectual magazine in the English language.’
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January 15, 2026 Issue
Table of Contents
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Our 1/15 issue is now online, with Susan Tallman on giving art back, Marilynne Robinson on the cost of living, @jeremydenk.bsky.social on Erik Satie, @robertpbaird.com on Ross Douthat’s impotent religion, @billmckibben.bsky.social on CO2, and much more.
https://go.nybooks.com/3YLB2Is
https://go.nybooks.com/3YLB2Is
Bill McKibben (@billmckibben.bsky.social) on why CO2—not corn, germs, guns, or cod—explains the history of everything https://go.nybooks.com/4pg5fdA
It’s a Gas | Bill McKibben
I’m writing this in the last days of the northern hemisphere’s autumn in 2025. Over recent weeks we’ve seen a hurricane hit Jamaica with wind speeds a few
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December 29, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Bill McKibben (@billmckibben.bsky.social) on why CO2—not corn, germs, guns, or cod—explains the history of everything https://go.nybooks.com/4pg5fdA
Robert P. Baird (@robertpbaird.com) on Ross Douthat’s mere religion https://go.nybooks.com/4plC8Wh
God of the Gaps | Robert P. Baird
Ross Douthat’s usual contrarian approach, in his recent book Believe, leads to a curiously impotent, watered-down account of religious experience.
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December 29, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Robert P. Baird (@robertpbaird.com) on Ross Douthat’s mere religion https://go.nybooks.com/4plC8Wh
Susan Tallman on the rightful homes of the bust of Nefertiti, the Sistine Madonna, and some of the art world’s most contested objects https://go.nybooks.com/4pXmscO
The Empire Gives Back | Susan Tallman
What does a fair policy of museum repatriation look like? A new book considers the issue in terms of human rights, cultural sovereignty, and stewardship.
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December 29, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Susan Tallman on the rightful homes of the bust of Nefertiti, the Sistine Madonna, and some of the art world’s most contested objects https://go.nybooks.com/4pXmscO
Kevin Power on David Szalay’s foot soldiers of blokedom https://go.nybooks.com/3MVDCci
All the Sad Unliterary Men | Kevin Power
David Szalay’s recent novel Flesh captures with unsparing accuracy the consciousness of an ordinary man in helpless decline.
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December 29, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Kevin Power on David Szalay’s foot soldiers of blokedom https://go.nybooks.com/3MVDCci
Marilynne Robinson on Zohran Mamdani, artificial intelligence, and America’s affordability crisis
https://go.nybooks.com/45iP9IU
https://go.nybooks.com/45iP9IU
At What Cost? | Marilynne Robinson
New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani plans to absorb individual costs into the collective life of the city, but whether that will be enough is an open question.
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December 29, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Marilynne Robinson on Zohran Mamdani, artificial intelligence, and America’s affordability crisis
https://go.nybooks.com/45iP9IU
https://go.nybooks.com/45iP9IU
“The tug between family ties and one’s own choice to construct a substitute family has been a constant tension within Christianity.... That makes the association of ‘family values’ with Christian faith more than a little problematic.” —Diarmaid MacCulloch
A Christmas Story | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Chandler Fritz
The Bible is unquestionably the most scrutinized “book” in history. Yet certain obvious facts about it nonetheless escape notice. For example, as Diarmaid
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December 28, 2025 at 11:54 PM
“The tug between family ties and one’s own choice to construct a substitute family has been a constant tension within Christianity.... That makes the association of ‘family values’ with Christian faith more than a little problematic.” —Diarmaid MacCulloch
The Elaine massacre gave rise to the legal strategy that the NAACP would use to chip away at Jim Crow, but “the legal history…remains better known than that of the killings” —Atul Dev https://go.nybooks.com/4s8lRGQ
‘They Killed Our People’ | Atul Dev
In the spring of 2008, at a small desk piled with papers and notebooks, Lisa Hicks-Gilbert sat spellbound in front of a laptop. After a lifetime of
go.nybooks.com
December 28, 2025 at 4:02 AM
The Elaine massacre gave rise to the legal strategy that the NAACP would use to chip away at Jim Crow, but “the legal history…remains better known than that of the killings” —Atul Dev https://go.nybooks.com/4s8lRGQ
Our 1/15 issue is now online, with Susan Tallman on giving art back, Marilynne Robinson on the cost of living, @jeremydenk.bsky.social on Erik Satie, @robertpbaird.com on Ross Douthat’s impotent religion, @billmckibben.bsky.social on CO2, and much more.
https://go.nybooks.com/3YLB2Is
https://go.nybooks.com/3YLB2Is
January 15, 2026 Issue
Table of Contents
www.nybooks.com
December 26, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Our 1/15 issue is now online, with Susan Tallman on giving art back, Marilynne Robinson on the cost of living, @jeremydenk.bsky.social on Erik Satie, @robertpbaird.com on Ross Douthat’s impotent religion, @billmckibben.bsky.social on CO2, and much more.
https://go.nybooks.com/3YLB2Is
https://go.nybooks.com/3YLB2Is
Reposted by The New York Review of Books
"The Elaine massacre, as the weeklong carnage in Phillips County is now known, was among the many mass killings of black people carried out by whites across the country in the decades after the Civil War." Atul Dev www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
‘They Killed Our People’ | Atul Dev
In the spring of 2008, at a small desk piled with papers and notebooks, Lisa Hicks-Gilbert sat spellbound in front of a laptop. After a lifetime of
www.nybooks.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:26 AM
"The Elaine massacre, as the weeklong carnage in Phillips County is now known, was among the many mass killings of black people carried out by whites across the country in the decades after the Civil War." Atul Dev www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
Reposted by The New York Review of Books
This piece is excellent
www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
L’Affaire Carlson | Suzanne Schneider
On November 5 the president of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, convened an uncomfortable meeting. “I made a mistake, and I let you down,” he told
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December 23, 2025 at 5:52 PM
This piece is excellent
www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
Reposted by The New York Review of Books
Inflated statistics, selective narratives, and weakened institutions: Christopher de Bellaigue in @nybooks.com on "hype and fraud" in Modi's India.
www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
Hype and Fraud in India | Christopher de Bellaigue
Little known today, Fitz-James O’Brien deserves serious attention for developing some of science fiction’s most familiar tropes—among them microcosmic worlds, invisible monsters, time slips, and robot...
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December 26, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Inflated statistics, selective narratives, and weakened institutions: Christopher de Bellaigue in @nybooks.com on "hype and fraud" in Modi's India.
www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
Reposted by The New York Review of Books
My review of Ross Douthat's BELIEVE is up at @nybooks.com: www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
December 26, 2025 at 2:31 PM
My review of Ross Douthat's BELIEVE is up at @nybooks.com: www.nybooks.com/articles/202...
“It’s easy for the insecure to turn to Orthodox churches that for reasons of history are themselves new to encounters with sexual modernity, and seem to provide refuge in overconfident assertions of their tradition.” —Diarmaid MacCulloch
A Christmas Story | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Chandler Fritz
The Bible is unquestionably the most scrutinized “book” in history. Yet certain obvious facts about it nonetheless escape notice. For example, as Diarmaid
www.nybooks.com
December 26, 2025 at 10:57 AM
“It’s easy for the insecure to turn to Orthodox churches that for reasons of history are themselves new to encounters with sexual modernity, and seem to provide refuge in overconfident assertions of their tradition.” —Diarmaid MacCulloch
“Today it may seem like magical thinking to imagine a Russia that would be willing to pay damages to Ukraine, but there is some historical precedent for such a scenario.” —Linda Kinstler on the peace talks in Ukraine
L’Affaire Carlson | Suzanne Schneider
On November 5 the president of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, convened an uncomfortable meeting. “I made a mistake, and I let you down,” he told
www.nybooks.com
December 25, 2025 at 4:24 PM
“Today it may seem like magical thinking to imagine a Russia that would be willing to pay damages to Ukraine, but there is some historical precedent for such a scenario.” —Linda Kinstler on the peace talks in Ukraine
The Elaine massacre of October 1919, writes Atul Dev, represents “a pivotal episode of American history, consigned inexplicably to the margins.” https://go.nybooks.com/4s3ui6p
‘They Killed Our People’ | Atul Dev
In the spring of 2008, at a small desk piled with papers and notebooks, Lisa Hicks-Gilbert sat spellbound in front of a laptop. After a lifetime of
go.nybooks.com
December 25, 2025 at 11:09 AM
The Elaine massacre of October 1919, writes Atul Dev, represents “a pivotal episode of American history, consigned inexplicably to the margins.” https://go.nybooks.com/4s3ui6p
“Today it may seem like magical thinking to imagine a Russia that would be willing to pay damages to Ukraine, but there is some historical precedent for such a scenario.” —Linda Kinstler on the peace talks in Ukraine
‘Minimum Victory’ | Linda Kinstler
On December 1, a group of prominent Ukrainian intellectuals and politicians published a manifesto in Ukrainska Pravda about how the war might end. “It is
www.nybooks.com
December 24, 2025 at 11:18 AM
“Today it may seem like magical thinking to imagine a Russia that would be willing to pay damages to Ukraine, but there is some historical precedent for such a scenario.” —Linda Kinstler on the peace talks in Ukraine
Looking for a last-minute gift? NYRSeminars presents online classes with @DAMendelsohnNYC on Madame Bovary, Italian opera, and twentieth-century theater, plus Marilynne Robinson on the Bible. Purchase a membership now by visiting: nybooks.com/events/
Events Archive
January 7–21, 2026 Drama Queens: Daniel Mendelsohn on Madame Bovary and Italian Opera Join Daniel Mendelsohn for a three-session webinar on Madame Bovary, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, and Madame Butterfly. January 28–February 18, 2026 Drama Queens:...
nybooks.com
December 23, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Looking for a last-minute gift? NYRSeminars presents online classes with @DAMendelsohnNYC on Madame Bovary, Italian opera, and twentieth-century theater, plus Marilynne Robinson on the Bible. Purchase a membership now by visiting: nybooks.com/events/
“The new conservatives have not just deprived themselves of the resources to combat antisemitism in their midst but created more favorable conditions for it to spread.” —Suzanne Schneider on the turmoil at the Heritage Foundation
L’Affaire Carlson | Suzanne Schneider
On November 5 the president of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, convened an uncomfortable meeting. “I made a mistake, and I let you down,” he told
www.nybooks.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:07 PM
“The new conservatives have not just deprived themselves of the resources to combat antisemitism in their midst but created more favorable conditions for it to spread.” —Suzanne Schneider on the turmoil at the Heritage Foundation
“The tug between family ties and one’s own choice to construct a substitute family has been a constant tension within Christianity.... That makes the association of ‘family values’ with Christian faith more than a little problematic.” —Diarmaid MacCulloch
A Christmas Story | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Chandler Fritz
The Bible is unquestionably the most scrutinized “book” in history. Yet certain obvious facts about it nonetheless escape notice. For example, as Diarmaid
www.nybooks.com
December 23, 2025 at 11:54 AM
“The tug between family ties and one’s own choice to construct a substitute family has been a constant tension within Christianity.... That makes the association of ‘family values’ with Christian faith more than a little problematic.” —Diarmaid MacCulloch
The Elaine massacre gave rise to the legal strategy that the NAACP would use to chip away at Jim Crow, but “the legal history…remains better known than that of the killings” —Atul Dev https://go.nybooks.com/4s8lRGQ
‘They Killed Our People’ | Atul Dev
In the spring of 2008, at a small desk piled with papers and notebooks, Lisa Hicks-Gilbert sat spellbound in front of a laptop. After a lifetime of
go.nybooks.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:02 PM
The Elaine massacre gave rise to the legal strategy that the NAACP would use to chip away at Jim Crow, but “the legal history…remains better known than that of the killings” —Atul Dev https://go.nybooks.com/4s8lRGQ
“The most stunning moment in Resurrection…[is] the oldest movie-making trick of all: the world itself, the simple miracle of light—the right light—hitting a camera.” —Gabriel Winslow-Yost
‘The Ancient and Long-Forgotten Language of Cinematography’ | Gabriel Winslow-Yost
Films are rarely made in response to film critics, so it is unlikely that Bi Gan’s wildly ambitious new film was inspired Susan Sontag’s 1996 essay “The
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December 22, 2025 at 10:24 AM
“The most stunning moment in Resurrection…[is] the oldest movie-making trick of all: the world itself, the simple miracle of light—the right light—hitting a camera.” —Gabriel Winslow-Yost
For Trump, peace in Ukraine "seems to amount to little more than a business deal, preferably delivered before Christmas, or at the very least before nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize are due on January 31." —Linda Kinstler
‘Minimum Victory’ | Linda Kinstler
On December 1, a group of prominent Ukrainian intellectuals and politicians published a manifesto in Ukrainska Pravda about how the war might end. “It is
www.nybooks.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:07 PM
For Trump, peace in Ukraine "seems to amount to little more than a business deal, preferably delivered before Christmas, or at the very least before nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize are due on January 31." —Linda Kinstler
Suzanne Schneider on the crack-up at the Heritage Foundation
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December 21, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Suzanne Schneider on the crack-up at the Heritage Foundation
“The Bible is a collection of texts beyond and outside us, and we may find its messages strange and even unwelcome. There’s nothing we can do about that, except to examine ourselves afresh.” —Diarmaid MacCulloch, interviewed by Chandler Fritz
A Christmas Story | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Chandler Fritz
The Bible is unquestionably the most scrutinized “book” in history. Yet certain obvious facts about it nonetheless escape notice. For example, as Diarmaid
www.nybooks.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:44 PM
“The Bible is a collection of texts beyond and outside us, and we may find its messages strange and even unwelcome. There’s nothing we can do about that, except to examine ourselves afresh.” —Diarmaid MacCulloch, interviewed by Chandler Fritz
Linda Kinstler on Ukraine's impossible bind https://go.nybooks.com/4jhWq1t
‘Minimum Victory’ | Linda Kinstler
On December 1, a group of prominent Ukrainian intellectuals and politicians published a manifesto in Ukrainska Pravda about how the war might end. “It is
www.nybooks.com
December 20, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Linda Kinstler on Ukraine's impossible bind https://go.nybooks.com/4jhWq1t