History

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

All in This Together?: On Grace Elizabeth Hale’s “Cool Town: How Athens, Georgia Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture”
Jeff Melnick considers the rise of alternative music in the American South, as discussed in Grace Hale’s new hybrid ethnography-memoir, “Cool Town.”
Jeff MelnickApr 11, 2020
The Pursuit of Clarity in a Time of Plague
Stephen Marche ponders the current plague and its untold, untellable stories.
Stephen MarcheApr 7, 2020
Hunting the Last Nazi Murderers Among Us
Paul Finkelman reviews "Citizen 865: The Hunt for Hitler’s Hidden Soldiers in America," the new book from Pulitzer Prize winner Debbie Cenziper.
Paul FinkelmanApr 6, 2020
- History
- Law
Living the Dream: On Ludvík Vaculík’s “A Czech Dreambook”
Michael Tate delves into “A Czech Dreambook” by Ludvík Vaculík, translated by Gerald Turner.
Michael TateApr 4, 2020
An Unnatural History of Destruction: On Iconoclasm as a Tool of War
What happens to a country when its monuments are treated as targets by the enemy?
Alex DigginsApr 3, 2020
COVID and Community
From the early days of the pandemic, Steven Shapin on the ways COVID-19 requires us to care for each other and our communities.
Steven ShapinMar 30, 2020
A California Story of a Slave’s Struggle for Freedom
Paul Finkelman reviews “Archy Lee’s Struggle for Freedom,” the new book from Brian McGinty.
Paul FinkelmanMar 26, 2020
- History
- Law
Land of Poets and Bones: Spain’s Desmemoria
The saga of an artistic family in Franco’s Spain raises questions about reconciliation.
Jordan ElgrablyMar 22, 2020
Dodging the Censor
A new book about the impact of literary censorship in the long 18th century.
Jake FuchsMar 20, 2020
Sin, Glamour, and Photography in Hollywood’s Golden Age: On Two Books by Mark A. Vieira
Chris Yogerst praises two books by Mark A. Vieira that document pre-Code Hollywood history through vivid pictures and astute storytelling.
Chris YogerstMar 14, 2020
What It All Meant: A Conversation with Alex Halberstadt
Meredith Maran interviews Alex Halberstadt about his debut memoir, “Young Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Memoir and a Reckoning.”
Meredith MaranMar 10, 2020
- History
- Memoir & Essay
The Logic of the Rebel: On Simone Weil and Albert Camus
Robert Zaretsky considers Albert Camus’s posthumous friendship with Simone Weil.
Robert ZaretskyMar 7, 2020