You’ve probably heard of Bowling Alone, the hugely influential 2000 book diagnosing our country’s malaise by Robert Putnam, the Harvard University political scientist. In it, Putnam showed that Americans’ stock of social capital—the fabric of a community’s trust and cooperation—had been plummeting since the 1950s, and that its decline was harming our well-being, personal relationships, […]
Are the Elderly Holding America Back?
A new book treats old age, or ‘gerontocracy,’ as the central crisis of modern politics. The framing obscures more than it explains.
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Remember When We Used to Take World War III Seriously?
In the 1980s, serious people feared World War III and acted to prevent it. Today, our slouch toward World War III is being orchestrated by egotistical sociopaths.
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The Return of the Native
Nicholas Lemann’s family history illuminates what it means to be Jewish in America and explains how we choose our religious and ethnic identities.
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The Roberts Court’s Gutting of the Voting Rights Act Nears Completion
Two rulings this year, including one this month, have laid bare the court’s fundamental misinterpretation of the landmark law and the Reconstruction Era Constitutional amendments that transformed America.
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A Liberal Without the Elitism: Robert Coles, RIP
I studied with the late Harvard professor who had a nuanced understanding of class and race in America.
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The Defeat of Spencer Pratt Is a Defeat of AI Slop
The Los Angeles Republican mayoral candidate was seen as a cutting-edge adopter of artificial intelligence, but it only cut down his chances of winning.
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The Washington Monthly Announces Finalists for 2026 Kukula Award Book Review Prize
One-of-a-kind journalism prize, named in honor of the late Monthly book editor, honors exemplary nonfiction book reviewing that elucidates key issues of our times.
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