New Directions Archives - Public Books

Growing Up in the World Made by Femicide

Imani Radney — Thu, 18 May 2023 15:00:02 +0000

A dystopian buddy story shows misogynist violence emerging spontaneously—almost casually—from male camaraderie, from ennui, from dipshit youth.

Ben Platt — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 16:00:18 +0000

What were the books of 2022 that dazzled, challenged, and inspired us?

Ruby Ray Daily — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 16:00:02 +0000

“Oreo” is not the easiest read, but it is a book that is, in many ways, written against ease.

Imani Radney — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 15:00:38 +0000

A behind-the-scenes look at what Public Books editors and staff have been reading this month.

Imani Radney — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 16:00:43 +0000

Latin American authors must defer to “Latin America”—as imagined by centers of literary power—to be translated, to sell, to make money.

Imani Radney — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 16:00:42 +0000

Which matters more, intent or interpretation? What if a juxtaposition of images in literature or art is just that—a chance encounter?

Imani Radney — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 15:00:02 +0000

Annotations isn’t a book you read for the plot. It’s more of a “Notes toward...” that remains just that: always towards, never quite arriving.

Imani Radney — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 15:00:27 +0000

A behind-the-scenes look at what Public Books editors and staff have been reading this month.

Kelley McKinney — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 15:00:33 +0000

Impossible to summarize, The Last Samurai is deeply political—anti-capitalist and thoroughly feminist—without ever becoming preachy or moralizing.

Kelley McKinney — Thu, 20 May 2021 15:00:37 +0000

Jenny Erpenbeck’s fiction is an attempt to grasp the underlying precariousness of our sense of identity and belonging.