Critical Mass: This week in TNR’s books and culture

4 years ago

The best of TNR’s arts and culture coverage

How Boys State Explains Trump’s Appeal

The documentary about a political boot camp is a depressingly accurate microcosm of the American electoral circus.
By Josephine Livingstone

“The Last Great Road Bum” is a portrait of an American coming to political consciousness.
By Siddhartha Deb

The comic thriller “Squeeze Me” is set, like Hiaasen’s other books, in Florida—which turns out to make a big difference.
By Alex Shephard

Michael Almereyda’s movie dismantles romantic notions about creativity, invention, and making money.
By John Semley

Did distractions, disruptions, and gossip shape Tolstoy’s novel as much as long-simmering ideas about morality and desire?
By Jennifer Wilson

In disastrous interviews and his most famous novels, he struggled to reckon with racism and white supremacy.
By Evan Kindley

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