December 2024 Issue

How the Ivy League broke America, a Japanese boxer on death row, Nick Cave, and the dark origins of Impressionism. Plus building a Palestinian state, Jimmy O. Yang, Lucy Calkins, Handel's Messiah, Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, eating with the Grateful Dead, and more.

How the Ivy League Broke America

The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.

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How Jimmy O. Yang Became a Main Character

The actor spent years stuck in small, clichéd roles. Now, starring in Interior Chinatown, he’s figuring out who he wants to be.

He Was the World’s Longest-Held Death-Row Inmate. He Was Also Innocent.

Each day for 50 years, the Japanese boxer Iwao Hakamada woke up unsure whether it would be his last.

How One Woman Became the Scapegoat for America’s Reading Crisis

Lucy Calkins was an education superstar. Now she’s cast as the reason a generation of students struggles to read. Can she reclaim her good name?

The Exhibit That Will Change How You See Impressionism

The National Gallery’s “Paris 1874” explores the movement’s dark origins.

Illustration by Matt ChaseMy Hope for PalestineThere’s still a path to lasting peace. But we’ll need a new set of leaders.Samer Sinijlawi

My Hope for Palestine

There’s still a path to lasting peace. But we’ll need a new set of leaders.

Illustration by Raisa ÁlavaWhat the Band EatsMemories of the meals I ate growing up with the Grateful DeadReya Hart

What the Band Eats

Memories of the meals I ate growing up with the Grateful Dead

Owen HarveyHydraulic RevolutionPhotographs of Los Angeles’s lowriding sceneAlejandra Molina

Photographs of Los Angeles’s lowriding scene

Illustration by Gabriela Pesqueira. Source: Jim Dyson / Getty.Nick Cave’s Revised Rules for MenOn his new album, he searches out salvation in the face of insecurity and irrelevance.Spencer Kornhaber

Nick Cave’s Revised Rules for Men

On his new album, he searches out salvation in the face of insecurity and irrelevance.

Illustration by Hokyoung KimRichard Price’s Radical, Retrograde NovelIn Lazarus Man, he rejects the tropes of contemporary literature.Tyler Austin Harper

Richard Price’s Radical, Retrograde Novel

In Lazarus Man, he rejects the tropes of contemporary literature.

Illustration by Paul Spella*The Genius of Handel’s MessiahThe oratorio is a feat of sustained inspiration arguably unsurpassed in the canon of Western classical music.Jan Swafford

The Genius of Handel’s Messiah

The oratorio is a feat of sustained inspiration arguably unsurpassed in the canon of Western classical music.

Illustration by Anthony Gerace. Sources: Hulton Archive; Joe Vella / Alamy.The Magic Mountain Saved My LifeWhen I was young and adrift, Thomas Mann’s novel gave me a sense of purpose. Today, its vision is startlingly relevant.George Packer

The Magic Mountain Saved My Life

When I was young and adrift, Thomas Mann’s novel gave me a sense of purpose. Today, its vision is startlingly relevant.

The AtlanticThe Commons: Falling in Love With Reading Will Change Your LifeReaders respond to our November 2024 issue and more.

The Commons: Falling in Love With Reading Will Change Your Life

Readers respond to our November 2024 issue and more.

The AtlanticCaleb's Inferno: December 2024A devilish crossword puzzle

Caleb's Inferno: December 2024

A devilish crossword puzzle

Heritage Images / GettyFailed ElegyMatthew Zapruder