''Public Books'' is an American

book review A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, an opinion piece, a summary review, or a scholarly view. B ...

website that publishes accessible reviews written by academics and public intellectuals.

Overview

Founding editors Caitlin Zaloom and

Sharon Marcus Sharon Marcus (born 1966) is an American academic. She is the Orlando Harriman Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. She specializes in nineteenth-century British and French literature and culture, and teaches c ...

launched ''Public Books'' in mid-2012 to "give scholars a chance to weigh in on contemporary culture at a faster pace than scholarly publishing allows, but with more rigor and more time for reflection than journalism usually permits." The site publishes one essay or interview a day, five times a week. The first ''Public Books'' article was a review of

Jeffrey Eugenides Jeffrey Kent Eugenides (born March 8, 1960) is an American author. He has written numerous short stories and essays, as well as three novels: '' The Virgin Suicides'' (1993), ''Middlesex'' (2002), and '' The Marriage Plot'' (2011). ''The Virgin Su ...

's novel '' The Marriage Plot'' by founding editor Sharon Marcus. This article and several others were published before the site's first official issue, which went live in June 2012. Since its founding, ''Public Books'' has shown interest in

American politics In the United States, politics functions within a framework of a constitutional federal republic, federal democratic republic with a presidential system. The three distinct branches Separation of powers, share powers: United States Congress, C ...

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and

pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...

(especially television shows and comics). Contributors frequently review books critical of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

. ''

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment or wire frame used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skir ...

'' described ''Public Books'' as a place to find articles that blend "reading, writing, and art with activism—making space for the diverse voices we need to keep hearing more of." ''Public Books'' is one of several new online and print magazines—including ''

Jacobin The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential political cl ...

'' and ''

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''—that the ''

Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is an American newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals, including staff members and administrators. A subscriptio ...

'' credits with catalyzing an "intellectual renaissance" in the United States. ''Public Books'' is known for publishing scholarly responses to current events. In June 2016, historians N. D. B. Connolly and Keisha N. Blain published a syllabus at ''Public Books'' for a potential course on the political success of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

in the 2016 American presidential election. The syllabus was so popular in the days after the election that it briefly downed the ''Public Books'' website.

Awards

In 2013, ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'' gave ''Public Books'' a #BeastBest award for its "meaty book writing."

Notable Contributors

Well-known contributors to ''Public Books'' include: *

Judith Butler Judith Pamela Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American feminist philosopher and gender studies scholar whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory. In ...

Masha Gessen Masha Gessen () is a Russian and American journalist, author, and translator who has written extensively on LGBT rights. Gessen writes primarily in English but also in Russian. In addition to authoring several nonfiction books, Gessen has con ...

Fredric Jameson Fredric Ruff Jameson (April 14, 1934 – September 22, 2024) was an American literary critic, philosopher and Marxist political theorist. He was best known for his analysis of contemporary cultural trends, particularly his analysis of postmode ...

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (; born 24 February 1942) is an Indian scholar, literary theorist, and feminist critic. She is a University Professor at Columbia University and a founding member of the establishment's Institute for Comparative ...

Ellis Avery Ellis Avery (born Elisabeth Atwood; October 25, 1972 – February 15, 2019) was an American writer. She won two Stonewall Book Awards (the only author to have done so), one in 2008 for her debut novel ''The Teahouse Fire'' and one in 2013 for her ...

(editor, Public Streets)

References

{{Reflist Book review websites