True Confession
The Irish are increasingly secular and progressive, but their church-dominated institutions have not kept up.
Provocateur
If you followed him on Twitter, you might think Dawkins was just a loudmouthed incendiary. Read his science writing and you encounter a brilliant mind. How do we reconcile the two?
Lawgiver
Gordon Moore’s work with the miniaturization of silicon chips has made him one of the gods of the digital universe, but there’s a darker side to the man and the culture he epitomizes.
Naïve
In Patriotic Betrayal, author Karen M. Paget meticulously documents the agency’s long infiltration of student groups around the world. But she avoids the most important question: Why?
CLASH
Controversy regularly follows billionaire Denis O’Brien—most recently over claims of suspect dealings with a state-run bank.
FAITH
This Friday the Irish look set to vote in favor of legalizing gay marriage. If they do, they’ll be casting off the mantle of oppressive and suffocating religious doctrine.
LOSE YOURSELF
Recent books have tried to deconstruct Lou Reed’s lyrics and music and turn them into an academic exercise. Instead, just experience the music for yourself.
Some Utopia
Orwell saw the state as the enemy, but maybe he never had trouble with his bank. The fact is, bureaucracy is baked into practically every aspect of our lives, and we hardly know it.
OUTSIDE VIEW
Most Americans think of the Civil War as a series of battles that mattered most to the U.S. A new book shows that it also mattered a great deal worldwide.
Who Will Save Us?
Throwing stones at Silicon Valley is fun, but a tour of Andrew Keen’s flawed screed against the evils of Internet culture suggest that he’s looking to loathe in all the wrong places.