I am, indeed, biased, but more book coverage by a prominent national magazine is a good thing for America. Sure, there are plenty of bad books (evil ones, even!), but as a medium, books continue to be the best way for any given society to understand and interrogate itself. So I was happy to see the news this morning that The Atlantic will be expanding its book coverage. As Jane Yong Kim, deputy editor in charge of the section, writes:
[books] remind us, in ways both big and small, of what makes us human. At a time when books are under threat across the country, reading and writing about literature—and in the process, perhaps better understanding ourselves, and others—become ever more important.