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The Novel as Instrument: Sinan Antoon and Michael Allan

Our partner podcast Novel Dialogue invites a novelist and a literary critic to talk about novels from every angle: how we read them, write them, publish them, and remember them. This season’s signature question is: Who was your favorite teacher and why? “I am haunted by history: the history of dictatorship, the history of empire, […] The post The Novel as Instrument: Sinan Antoon and Michael Allan appeared first on Public Books.

Megan Cummins·May 22, 2026

Public Books

Solo el pueblo: Migrant Justice Against Fascism in the Americas

Thanks to the politics of sanctuary and abolition, the multiracial city is, perhaps, challenging authoritarian power, even as liberal democratic institutions have faltered utterly against the rise of right wing, white ethnonationalism. The post Solo el pueblo: Migrant Justice Against Fascism in the Americas appeared first on Public Books.

Morgan Barry·May 21, 2026

Public Books

Fascism’s Building Blocks: 30 Years of Secret Evidence

“Immigration law is a zone of exception where many American constitutional standards, the supposed safeguards against government abuse, simply do not extend.” The post Fascism’s Building Blocks: 30 Years of Secret Evidence appeared first on Public Books.

Morgan Barry·May 20, 2026

Public Books

The Double Edge of Border Security: 30 Years of Expanding Executive Power through Immigration Law

In the 1990s, lawmakers—including Schumer, Biden, and Clinton—invoked civil rights ideals, even while they narrowed legal protections from detention, deportation, and policing. The post The Double Edge of Border Security: 30 Years of Expanding Executive Power through Immigration Law appeared first on Public Books.

Imani Radney·May 19, 2026

Public Books

Fascism’s Building Blocks: 30 Years of Criminalizing Black Migrants

“These two laws are inseparable. Together, they form a ‘prison-to-deportation pipeline’ that subjects Black migrants to a ‘double jeopardy’ of systemic racism.” The post Fascism’s Building Blocks: 30 Years of Criminalizing Black Migrants appeared first on Public Books.

Morgan Barry·May 18, 2026

Public Books

Sandra Boynton’s Death Drive: “The Going to Bed Book”

"We do not need to work harder when reading Boynton. Her work, especially when taken as a whole, rewards pause." The post Sandra Boynton’s Death Drive: “The Going to Bed Book” appeared first on Public Books.

Morgan Barry·May 6, 2026

Public Books

Reviving Evita

“With such an inviting, estranging cyclorama, this revived ‘Evita’ becomes an undeniable interpretation.” The post Reviving Evita appeared first on Public Books.

Morgan Barry·May 7, 2026

Public Books

Place presents itself to you in fragments: Ivan Vladislavić and Jeanne-Marie Jackson

“The notion of the quintessential Johannesburg book might be quite a cheeky one. There are so many Johannesburgs.” The post Place presents itself to you in fragments: Ivan Vladislavić and Jeanne-Marie Jackson appeared first on Public Books.

Megan Cummins·May 8, 2026

Public Books

Style Guide: An Open Letter to the Editor of T Magazine

We here at Public Books are not averse to receiving homage; far from it. In fact we are proud of “B-Sides” and feel it deserves its readership. Let a thousand literary reevaluations bloom, we say! The post Style Guide: An Open Letter to the Editor of T Magazine appeared first on Public Books.

Megan Cummins·May 8, 2026

Public Books

Fascism’s Building Blocks: A US Infrastructure Decades in the Making

“Immigration constitutes a leading edge of fascism today, because it has become such a sharply honed weapon for dividing ‘us’ and ‘them.’” The post Fascism’s Building Blocks: A US Infrastructure Decades in the Making appeared first on Public Books.

Morgan Barry·May 11, 2026

Public Books

Fascism’s Building Blocks: 100 Years of Murdering Migrant Workers

“The KKK’s terror campaign took a bloody toll. Between 1917 and 1920, 170 IWW union organizers were lynched or murdered in extra-judicial killings.” The post Fascism’s Building Blocks: 100 Years of Murdering Migrant Workers appeared first on Public Books.

Morgan Barry·May 12, 2026

Public Books

Fascism’s Building Blocks: 30 Years of Destroying Families

“Women—who disproportionately carry the burden of caregiving and are often left alone when partners are kidnapped—are pushed into deeper poverty and isolation.” The post Fascism’s Building Blocks: 30 Years of Destroying Families appeared first on Public Books.

Imani Radney·May 13, 2026

Public Books

Republicans Debate Amnesty

“Being undocumented during my formative years … meant that I always lived with fear,” recalls Alberto Ledesma. “I thought that any misstep I took could endanger [my] entire family.” An artist and writer, Ledesma is one of the approximately 2.7 million formerly undocumented immigrants who were able to adjust their status because of the Immigration […] The post Republicans Debate Amnesty appeared first on Public Books.

Megan Cummins·May 14, 2026

Public Books

Fascism's Building Blocks: 30 Years of Breaking Welfare

How three decades of welfare retrenchment built the political ground for modern authoritarianism.

Imani Radney·May 15, 2026·19 min read

Public Books

Xochitl Gonzalez on "Last Night in Brooklyn"

An interview about the new novel, gentrification, and writing the borough you grew up in.

Megan Cummins·May 13, 2026·12 min read