Books The myth of America’s love affair with guns In Bloodbath Nation Paul Auster says fixing the firearms crisis requires deep cultural change. What it really needs is political leadership. By Sarah Churchwell
US Election 2020 Sarah Churchwell’s Diary: My sleepless nights watching CNN, why the arts matter and fighting for truth By Sarah Churchwell
Arthur Miller’s anatomy of a nation Arthur Miller saw the Great Depression and the years after as a period of moral catastrophe. His understanding of… By Sarah Churchwell
Chief charlatan: the greatest imposter of the jazz age The 1920s was a decade of swindles – and one con artist out-tricked them all. By Sarah Churchwell
Marilynne Robinson’s new essay collection is acerbic – and problematic In What Are We Doing Here?, Robinson attacks Fox News and the “dystopian media”. By Sarah Churchwell
Out of time: F Scott Fitzgerald and an America in decline The last remaining uncollected stories and a new biography show the great novelist’s grasp of history and his place… By Sarah Churchwell
Is The Dollmaker the latest “rediscovered“ masterpiece? This 1950s novel, beloved by Marilynne Robinson, has power and poignancy – but little that surprises us. By Sarah Churchwell
Hillary Clinton’s haters and the glass ceiling of American politics Whatever you think of Clinton as a politician, it's undeniable that she has been castigated for her ambition in… By Sarah Churchwell
Urban sprawl: the supersized City on Fire from Garth Risk Hallberg City on Fire is not bad, but it also is not great - and it might have been if it had… By Sarah Churchwell
Sweet Caress tries to be inventive – but it can’t quite muster the energy The novel's use of found photos is an interesting conceit but, like the legerdemain around the book’s title, emphasising… By Sarah Churchwell