History

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

Beyond the Counterculture: Rethinking College in the ’60s
Mark Garrett Cooper and John Marx review John Thelin’s “Going to College in the Sixties.”
John Marx, Mark Garrett CooperMay 13, 2019
To the Heart of the Heart
Suzanne Koven turns her ear to “Heart: A History” by Sandeep Jauhar.
Suzanne KovenMay 13, 2019
- History
- Science & Technology
“Working”: A Brief History of History
Robert Caro is still asking questions, and asking his readers to do the same.
John SchneiderMay 13, 2019
The Monster Within: On Two New Books About Chernobyl
Two new books trace the chilling story of the Chernobyl reactor.
Bathsheba DemuthMay 12, 2019
An Unreconstructed Nation: On Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s “Stony the Road”
A new history of Reconstruction traces the roots of American “respectability” politics, and reveals an argument conducted largely through artwork.
Robert D. BlandMay 10, 2019
- History
- Politics
To Infinity and Beyond: The Power of Calculus
Michael J. Barany reviews "Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe" by Steven Strogatz.
Michael J. BaranyMay 9, 2019
- History
- Science & Technology
No Savior on the Horizon: Native Peoples’ Fight for Environmental and Cultural Protection
Debra Utacia Krol reviews Dina Gilio-Whitaker's "As Long as Grass Grows."
Debra Utacia KrolMay 7, 2019
- History
- Politics
Resistance Is a State of Mind: On Lynne Olson’s “Madame Fourcade’s Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France’s Largest Spy Network Against Hitler”
Alexander C. Kafka uncovers “Madame Fourcade’s Secret War,” a “tense new page-turner” by Lynne Olson.
Alexander C. KafkaMay 6, 2019
- Around the World
- History
Saidiya Hartman’s “Beautiful Experiments”
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor reviews Saidiya Hartman's genre-defying "Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments."
Keeanga-Yamahtta TaylorMay 5, 2019
- History
Ornamental Thinking: On “Irrationality: A History of the Dark Side of Reason”
Is Justin E. H. Smith's assemblage of material actually illuminating? Yes, but only sometimes.
Evan SelingerMay 4, 2019
We Hold These Ideas to Be Self-Evident
Michael Kimmage considers "The Ideas That Made America: A Brief History" by Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen.
Michael KimmageApr 29, 2019
Hidden in Plain Sight: A Forgotten Queer Brooklyn
Michael Valinsky reviews Hugh Ryan’s new study of Brooklyn’s queer history.
Michael ValinskyApr 27, 2019
- Gender & Sexuality
- History