Interior spaces deserve as much scientific inquiry as the wilderness.
Books
Book reviews and essays from the Washington Monthly on the new books shaping debates over politics, policy, history, and American democracy.
Posted inSeptember/October 2020
Stanley Kubrick’s Calculated Rebellion
In his life and in his work, the filmmaker showed that insurgents only win when they sweat the small stuff.
Posted inBooks, Magazine, September/October 2020
Repeal-Proofing the Biden Administration
As Democrats design their policy agenda, they must think about not just how to get new laws passed, but how to make them durable.
Posted inBooks, Magazine, September/October 2020
The Politics of Pretension
How the meritocracy bred smugness—and drove voters to Donald Trump.
Posted inBooks, Magazine, September/October 2020
Libertarians Took Control of This Small Town. It Didn’t End Well.
A new book shows the troubling consequences of Grafton, New Hampshire’s anti-government experiment.
Posted inBooks, Featured, Higher Education, Political Animal
The Fallacy of Meritocracy on America’s College Campuses
A new book shows how our higher ed system favors the rich. Will COVID-19 make the problem even worse?
Posted inBooks, July/August 2020, Magazine
How the GOP Built a Loyal Hispanic Base
For decades, Republicans used appointments and policies to win a reliable third of the Latino vote.
Posted inBooks, July/August 2020, Magazine
Humans Don’t Have a Monopoly on Culture
A new book explains how species pass skills and knowledge down generations—and what it means for conservation goals.
Posted inBooks, July/August 2020, Magazine
What Motivates the Republican Party?
The GOP seems wildly hypocritical and unprincipled, until you understand its guiding idea.
Posted inBooks, July/August 2020, Magazine
Capitalism’s Nine Lives
Predicting the end of the free market system is a mug’s game, but a bigger welfare state is a pretty sure bet.
