Arts & Culture

Granting governments the ability to violate intellectual freedom by banning books from schools doesn’t help or protect anyone. It is an obscene way of stunting developing minds at a crucial juncture of life and handing the state yet another tool for controlling us.

Antonin Dvořák managed to capture a beautifully American sense of life: the moment of dawning opportunity, the first glimpse of the potential for triumph, of the chance to prevail that has always been the New World’s greatest gift.

Some say that you should reach for the Moon, because if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. Unfortunately, despite its starpower, Fly Me to the Moon fails even to get off the ground.

Star Trek: Discovery's great potential and interesting story concepts are hampered by poor character development and ham-fisted treatment of moral questions. Nonetheless, it provides some quality sci-fi stories and it deserves recognition for setting up the successful, more benevolent Strange New Worlds.

The Mark Twain Project’s authoritative edition of Pudd’nhead Wilson is an important scholarly resource, a delightful read for Twain devotees, and an opportunity for readers at large to gain more insight into the author’s sincere, if imperfect, efforts to attack the scourge of racial prejudice.

In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand shows that healthy relationships are based on shared moral values and a harmony of self-interest, and they exclude sacrifice.

The Brooklyn Stories offers hours of enjoyable reading. Andrew Bernstein is a “Jack of all genres,” but his talent with short stories is exceptional.

Jojo Rabbit is a profound story about self-discovery and redemption in one of history’s darkest periods.

These artists are “bringing back the instrumental”—and reminding us that yes, indeed, well-crafted instrumental music can tell great stories.

The success of many of today's popular musical artists evinces a broad cultural trend: the triumph of defeat—that is, the near-universal acceptance that we are but confused and helpless creatures.