History

"Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history." — George Bernard Shaw

Sankofa Time
Abena Ampofoa Asare writes about teaching Black history.
Abena Ampofoa AsareNov 30, 2023
- Education
- History
Nightmares of Reason: On Benjamín Labatut’s “The MANIAC”
Ed Simon reviews Benjamín Labatut’s newest book “The MANIAC.”
Ed SimonNov 25, 2023
Unpacking Women’s Language: On Jenni Nuttall’s “Mother Tongue”
Katherine Turk reviews Jenni Nuttall’s “Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women’s Words.”
Katherine TurkNov 15, 2023
- Gender & Sexuality
- History
Leaving Your Lane: A Conversation with Lydia Otero
Tom Zoellner talks to Lydia Otero about her new account of a young adulthood in Los Angeles, “L.A. Interchanges: A Brown & Queer Archival Memoir”
Tom ZoellnerNov 13, 2023
- History
- Memoir & Essay
History’s Final Verdict on Vichy France? On Julian Jackson’s “France on Trial”
John Reeves considers Julian Jackson’s “France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain.”
John ReevesNov 12, 2023
- History
The Bulgarian Computer’s Global Reach: On Victor Petrov’s “Balkan Cyberia”
Alex Langstaff calls “Balkan Cyberia: Cold War Computing, Bulgarian Modernization, and the Information Age Behind the Iron Curtain” a must-read for anyone interested in how the Iron Curtain was circumvented in the digital age.
Alex LangstaffNov 10, 2023
Thinking Was for Later; Movement Was for Now: On the Vortex Group’s “George Floyd Uprising”
Jamie Peck reviews “The George Floyd Uprising” by Vortex Group.
Jamie PeckNov 6, 2023
Shopgirl Pride: On Kate Flannery’s “Strip Tees”
Mariella Rudi reviews Kate Flannery’s “Strip Tees: A Memoir of Millennial Los Angeles.”
Mariella RudiNov 2, 2023
- History
- Memoir & Essay
Acid’s First Convert, Cary Grant: On Edward J. Delaney’s “The Acrobat"
James Penner on Edward J. Delaney’s 2022 novel “The Acrobat."
James PennerNov 2, 2023
- Fiction
- History
No Fap: A Cultural History of Anti-Masturbation
Aya Labanieh analyzes the history of the anti-masturbation NoFap movement, which has historical roots far beyond contemporary internet culture.
Aya LabaniehNov 1, 2023
- Gender & Sexuality
- History
Not Only in America: On Benjamin D. Weber’s “American Purgatory”
Spencer J. Weinreich reviews Benjamin D. Weber’s “American Purgatory: Prison Imperialism and the Rise of Mass Incarceration.”
Spencer J. WeinreichOct 28, 2023
- History
- Politics
Empress Elisabeth and the Archives of Anorexia
In a preview of the new LARB Quarterly, no. 39: “Air,” Meghan Racklin considers the life and imperfectly rendered image of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Meghan RacklinOct 20, 2023