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Monsters
by Claire Dederer • 2023
Our favorite art was made by awful people. A critic's personal, unresolved struggle with that fact.
3.68
23k+
Monsters Summary
Monsters 91%
Our favorite art was made by awful people. A critic's personal, unresolved struggle with that fact.
by Claire Dederer 2023
3.68
23k+ ratings
The Deadline
by Jill Lepore • 2023
The dead still run the country. A historian shows how, from the Constitution to the smartphone.
4.31
621
The Deadline Summary
The Deadline 90%
The dead still run the country. A historian shows how, from the Constitution to the smartphone.
by Jill Lepore 2023
4.31
621 ratings
Arguably
by Christopher Hitchens • 2011
Tyranny, religion, empire, sentimentality: what remains after clarity and history have their say.
4.20
10k+
Arguably Summary
Arguably 90%
Tyranny, religion, empire, sentimentality: what remains after clarity and history have their say.
by Christopher Hitchens 2011
4.20
10k+ ratings
Preface to Shakespeare
by Samuel Johnson • 1778
Why Shakespeare's greatness survives his flaws: Samuel Johnson's landmark verdict from 1778.
3.62
376
Preface to Shakespeare Summary
Preface to Shakespeare 90%
Why Shakespeare's greatness survives his flaws: Samuel Johnson's landmark verdict from 1778.
by Samuel Johnson 1778
3.62
376 ratings
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
by Walter Benjamin • 1936
Why does a perfect copy feel less real? Benjamin's answer upends art and politics.
4.08
25k+
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Summary
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 90%
Why does a perfect copy feel less real? Benjamin's answer upends art and politics.
by Walter Benjamin 1936
4.08
25k+ ratings
Spoilt Rotten
by dalrymple-theodore • 2010
Sentiment now governs law, schools, and foreign aid. The cruelty that follows is no accident.
3.96
1k+
Spoilt Rotten Summary
Spoilt Rotten 90%
Sentiment now governs law, schools, and foreign aid. The cruelty that follows is no accident.
by dalrymple-theodore 2010
3.96
1k+ ratings
Best American Essays 2018
by Hilton Als • 2018
The essay as weapon and refuge: twenty-seven writers on race, memory, and a nation on edge.
3.53
350
Best American Essays 2018 Summary
Best American Essays 2018 90%
The essay as weapon and refuge: twenty-seven writers on race, memory, and a nation on edge.
by Hilton Als 2018
3.53
350 ratings
Make Believe
by Mac Barnett • 2026
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
4.38
3k+
Make Believe Summary
Make Believe 90%
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
by Mac Barnett 2026
4.38
3k+ ratings
No Straight Road Takes You There
by Rebecca Solnit • 2025
Direct routes fail. Change follows indirect paths, new stories, and the long arc of memory.
4.16
1k+
No Straight Road Takes You There Summary
No Straight Road Takes You There 90%
Direct routes fail. Change follows indirect paths, new stories, and the long arc of memory.
by Rebecca Solnit 2025
4.16
1k+ ratings
The Strength to Dream
by Colin Wilson • 1962
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
3.93
123
The Strength to Dream Summary
The Strength to Dream 90%
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
by Colin Wilson 1962
3.93
123 ratings
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro
by Vladimir Nabokov • 1981
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
4.26
2k+
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro Summary
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro 90%
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
by Vladimir Nabokov 1981
4.26
2k+ ratings
A History of India, Vol. 1
by Romila Thapar • 1990
How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.
3.63
2k+
A History of India, Vol. 1 Summary
A History of India, Vol. 1 89%
How a 1999 sci-fi film exposed the simulation we were already living in.
by Romila Thapar 1990
3.63
2k+ ratings
Aspects of the Novel
by E.M. Forster • 1927
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
3.80
5k+
Aspects of the Novel Summary
Aspects of the Novel 89%
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
by E.M. Forster 1927
3.80
5k+ ratings
Nonconformity
by Nelson Algren • 1996
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
4.07
268
Nonconformity Summary
Nonconformity 89%
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
by Nelson Algren 1996
4.07
268 ratings
The Disappearance of Rituals
by Byung-Chul Han • 2019
Your exhaustion isn't overwork. It's a world that has stripped out every ritual.
3.98
3k+
The Disappearance of Rituals Summary
The Disappearance of Rituals 89%
Your exhaustion isn't overwork. It's a world that has stripped out every ritual.
by Byung-Chul Han 2019
3.98
3k+ ratings
The Art of Intimacy
by Stacey D'Erasmo • 2013
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
3.93
248
The Art of Intimacy Summary
The Art of Intimacy 89%
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
by Stacey D'Erasmo 2013
3.93
248 ratings
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs
by Chuck Klosterman • 2003
Your Saved by the Bell reruns taught you more about love than Jane Austen.
3.74
73k+
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs Summary
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs 89%
Your Saved by the Bell reruns taught you more about love than Jane Austen.
by Chuck Klosterman 2003
3.74
73k+ ratings
Read Dangerously
by Azar Nafisi • 2022
Why reading a novel can be more dangerous to a regime than marching in the street.
4.04
2k+
Read Dangerously Summary
Read Dangerously 89%
Why reading a novel can be more dangerous to a regime than marching in the street.
by Azar Nafisi 2022
4.04
2k+ ratings
Susan Sontag
by Jonathan Cott • 1978
Intelligence as a pulse, illness as biology, art as a body: the complete Sontag interview.
4.22
3k+
Susan Sontag Summary
Susan Sontag 89%
Intelligence as a pulse, illness as biology, art as a body: the complete Sontag interview.
by Jonathan Cott 1978
4.22
3k+ ratings
What If This Were Enough?
by Heather Havrilesky • 2018
Enforced cheer imprisons you. The bars are Instagram and Whole Foods; the key is giving up.
3.64
3k+
What If This Were Enough? Summary
What If This Were Enough? 89%
Enforced cheer imprisons you. The bars are Instagram and Whole Foods; the key is giving up.
by Heather Havrilesky 2018
3.64
3k+ ratings
Archaeologies of the Future
by Fredric Jameson • 2005
Utopia's function is not to predict the future but to prove the present is not inevitable.
4.04
596
Archaeologies of the Future Summary
Archaeologies of the Future 89%
Utopia's function is not to predict the future but to prove the present is not inevitable.
by Fredric Jameson 2005
4.04
596 ratings
The Crisis of Narration
by Byung-Chul Han • 2023
We drown in information but starve for stories. A philosophy of what happens when narration dies.
3.91
3k+
The Crisis of Narration Summary
The Crisis of Narration 89%
We drown in information but starve for stories. A philosophy of what happens when narration dies.
by Byung-Chul Han 2023
3.91
3k+ ratings
Books vs. Cigarettes
by George Orwell • 1946
A dusty bookshop, a public ward, a totalitarian state: Orwell's unsparing truth in each.
3.83
9k+
Books vs. Cigarettes Summary
Books vs. Cigarettes 89%
A dusty bookshop, a public ward, a totalitarian state: Orwell's unsparing truth in each.
by George Orwell 1946
3.83
9k+ ratings
Step Across This Line
by Salman Rushdie • 2002
A death sentence for a book. A decade of essays on freedom, Oz, and writing anyway.
3.93
1k+
Step Across This Line Summary
Step Across This Line 89%
A death sentence for a book. A decade of essays on freedom, Oz, and writing anyway.
by Salman Rushdie 2002
3.93
1k+ ratings
The Anatomy of Influence
by Harold Bloom • 2011
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
3.93
477
The Anatomy of Influence Summary
The Anatomy of Influence 89%
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
by Harold Bloom 2011
3.93
477 ratings
The Wisdom of the Heart
by Henry Miller • 1941
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
4.03
663
The Wisdom of the Heart Summary
The Wisdom of the Heart 89%
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
by Henry Miller 1941
4.03
663 ratings
Interventions 2020
by Michel Houellebecq • 2020
A provocateur on religion's sudden return, America's exit from power, and hell's disappearance.
3.57
579
Interventions 2020 Summary
Interventions 2020 89%
A provocateur on religion's sudden return, America's exit from power, and hell's disappearance.
by Michel Houellebecq 2020
3.57
579 ratings
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
by Pierre Bayard • 2020
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
3.44
5k+
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read Summary
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read 89%
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
by Pierre Bayard 2020
3.44
5k+ ratings
A Field Guide to Getting Lost
by Rebecca Solnit • 2005
Getting lost is where transformation begins. The unknown is the destination, not the detour.
3.90
21k+
A Field Guide to Getting Lost Summary
A Field Guide to Getting Lost 89%
Getting lost is where transformation begins. The unknown is the destination, not the detour.
by Rebecca Solnit 2005
3.90
21k+ ratings
About Writing
by Samuel R. Delany • 2006
The sentence, not the world, is science fiction's true unit of meaning. A master explains why.
4.26
459
About Writing Summary
About Writing 89%
The sentence, not the world, is science fiction's true unit of meaning. A master explains why.
by Samuel R. Delany 2006
4.26
459 ratings
Shakespeare's Freedom
by Stephen Greenblatt • 2010
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
3.83
175
Shakespeare's Freedom Summary
Shakespeare's Freedom 89%
Shakespeare dreamed of absolute freedom; his entire career became a record of its limits.
by Stephen Greenblatt 2010
3.83
175 ratings
Men Explain Things to Me
by Rebecca Solnit • 2014
Male confidence overwriting female expertise: a landmark essay on the roots of that silencing.
3.83
88k+
Men Explain Things to Me Summary
Men Explain Things to Me 89%
Male confidence overwriting female expertise: a landmark essay on the roots of that silencing.
by Rebecca Solnit 2014
3.83
88k+ ratings
Letters to a Young Contrarian
by Christopher Hitchens • 2001
Thinking for yourself will cost you friends and comfort. This is why you do it anyway.
4.13
13k+
Letters to a Young Contrarian Summary
Letters to a Young Contrarian 89%
Thinking for yourself will cost you friends and comfort. This is why you do it anyway.
by Christopher Hitchens 2001
4.13
13k+ ratings
The Hunger Artists
by Maud Ellmann • 1993
Why self-starvation is always a form of writing, from Irish hunger strikers to Kafka.
3.82
50
The Hunger Artists Summary
The Hunger Artists 89%
Why self-starvation is always a form of writing, from Irish hunger strikers to Kafka.
by Maud Ellmann 1993
3.82
50 ratings
Dr. Seuss and Philosophy
by Jacob M. Held • 2011
Philosophy hid on your childhood shelf. Horton on knowledge, the Lorax on ethics, Yertle on power.
4.14
441
Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Summary
Dr. Seuss and Philosophy 89%
Philosophy hid on your childhood shelf. Horton on knowledge, the Lorax on ethics, Yertle on power.
by Jacob M. Held 2011
4.14
441 ratings
Power, Politics and Culture
by Edward W. Said • 2001
The scholar who revealed how Western learning became a tool of empire, in his own words.
4.26
613
Power, Politics and Culture Summary
Power, Politics and Culture 89%
The scholar who revealed how Western learning became a tool of empire, in his own words.
by Edward W. Said 2001
4.26
613 ratings
The Language of the Night
by Ursula K. Le Guin • 1979
Beauty is morality, prose is the novel, and fantasy speaks to the unconscious.
4.28
2k+
The Language of the Night Summary
The Language of the Night 89%
Beauty is morality, prose is the novel, and fantasy speaks to the unconscious.
by Ursula K. Le Guin 1979
4.28
2k+ ratings
The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy
by Gregory Bassham • 2003
Free will, the Ring's corruption, and the rescue no one earned: philosophers on Middle-earth.
4.27
5k+
The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy Summary
The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy 89%
Free will, the Ring's corruption, and the rescue no one earned: philosophers on Middle-earth.
by Gregory Bassham 2003
4.27
5k+ ratings
How Fiction Works
by James Wood • 2008
How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.
3.99
8k+
How Fiction Works Summary
How Fiction Works 89%
How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.
by James Wood 2008
3.99
8k+ ratings
Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women
by Jayne Ann Krentz • 1992
What if romance novels carry a code that literary culture has never learned to read?
3.91
424
Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women Summary
Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women 89%
What if romance novels carry a code that literary culture has never learned to read?
by Jayne Ann Krentz 1992
3.91
424 ratings
Trick Mirror
by Jia Tolentino • 2019
The internet promised a self you could perfect. It delivered a performance you can never escape.
4.02
79k+
Trick Mirror Summary
Trick Mirror 89%
The internet promised a self you could perfect. It delivered a performance you can never escape.
by Jia Tolentino 2019
4.02
79k+ ratings
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five
by Curtis Smith • 2016
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
4.27
41
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five Summary
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five 89%
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
by Curtis Smith 2016
4.27
41 ratings
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays
by David Foster Wallace • 2005
Mainstream acceptance forced adult film into a paradox: to keep its edge, it grew more extreme.
4.18
55k+
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays Summary
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays 89%
Mainstream acceptance forced adult film into a paradox: to keep its edge, it grew more extreme.
by David Foster Wallace 2005
4.18
55k+ ratings
The Quotable Hitchens from Alcohol to Zionism
by Christopher Hitchens • 2011
Faith corrodes, speech must be absolute, and some wars are just: Hitchens at his most unsparing.
4.11
1k+
The Quotable Hitchens from Alcohol to Zionism Summary
The Quotable Hitchens from Alcohol to Zionism 89%
Faith corrodes, speech must be absolute, and some wars are just: Hitchens at his most unsparing.
by Christopher Hitchens 2011
4.11
1k+ ratings
The Posthuman
by Rosi Braidotti • 2013
Humanism promised progress but delivered exclusion. A theory of what we become next.
3.82
949
The Posthuman Summary
The Posthuman 89%
Humanism promised progress but delivered exclusion. A theory of what we become next.
by Rosi Braidotti 2013
3.82
949 ratings
The Anthropocene Reviewed
by John Green • 2021
From sycamores to antibiotics: a novelist rates the human age, one five-star review at a time.
4.35
182k+
The Anthropocene Reviewed Summary
The Anthropocene Reviewed 88%
From sycamores to antibiotics: a novelist rates the human age, one five-star review at a time.
by John Green 2021
4.35
182k+ ratings
We Need New Stories
by Nesrine Malik • 2021
The stories we tell about free speech, gender, and national virtue protect power, not truth.
4.02
996
We Need New Stories Summary
We Need New Stories 88%
The stories we tell about free speech, gender, and national virtue protect power, not truth.
by Nesrine Malik 2021
4.02
996 ratings
The Simpsons and Philosophy
by William Irwin • 2001
Nietzsche through Ned Flanders. Aristotle through Homer. A course in Western thought, in yellow.
3.45
4k+
The Simpsons and Philosophy Summary
The Simpsons and Philosophy 88%
Nietzsche through Ned Flanders. Aristotle through Homer. A course in Western thought, in yellow.
by William Irwin 2001
3.45
4k+ ratings
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist
by Orhan Pamuk • 2010
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
3.95
3k+
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist Summary
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist 88%
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
by Orhan Pamuk 2010
3.95
3k+ ratings
Science Fiction
by David Seed • 2011
How space voyages, aliens, and time travel turned science fiction into the literature of ideas.
3.31
554
Science Fiction Summary
Science Fiction 88%
How space voyages, aliens, and time travel turned science fiction into the literature of ideas.
by David Seed 2011
3.31
554 ratings
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