Culture
Page-turners
The real theme of J.D. Vance’s and Donald Trump’s memoirs
“Hillbilly Elegy” and “The Art of the Deal” reveal a lot about who the men are—and were
Going down to the woods
How “The Blair Witch Project” changed horror films
Released 25 years ago, it was a masterclass in doing more with less
Off the reservation
A poignant reflection on Native American “blood quantum” laws
A new novel follows a man cast out from the tribe in which he grew up
The sports page
The wonderful world of Ireland’s greatest sports
Gaelic football and hurling are loved by millions across the island. And nobody gets paid
Read trip
Packing for your summer holiday? Take these books published in 2024
The best titles of the year to date
Can we have a word?
Plenty of words have no clear origin
A new book investigating strange etymologies reads like a detective story
Gangsters-in-chief
Taking on the global brotherhood of despots
How autocrats collaborate, and how they fall
The telephone game
The largest sting operation you’ve never heard of
A new book looks at Anom, a messaging app started by the FBI to catch criminals
Moving the goalposts
Why American sports teams switch cities so often
And why fans outside America should fear being similarly jilted
Water world
Shallow thinking about water imperils the planet
Two new books warn of battles over ocean management and freshwater supply
The sports page
Spain’s footballers, cream of the Euros, reflect a changed nation
Sport can express fierce rivalries—but it can also heal
