Milan Kundera's new collection of essays is a passionate defense of art in an era that, he argues, no longer values art or beauty. With the same dazzling mix of emotion and idea that characterizes his novels, Kundera revisits the artists who remain important to him and whose works help us better understand the world we live in and what it means to be human. An astute reader of fiction, Kundera brings his extraordinary critical gifts to bear on the...

An eye-opening memoir of working-class poverty in the American Midwest. During Sarah Smarsh’s turbulent childhood in Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s, the forces of cyclical poverty and the country’s changing economic policies solidified her family’s place among the working poor. By telling the story of her life and the lives of the people she loves, Smarsh challenges us to look more closely at the class divide in our country and examine the myths...

Known for her carefully crafted sewing patterns that stitch up into dressy-casual garments, Rae Hoekstra of the Made By Rae pattern line brings us a gorgeous sewing class based on her Isla pattern. This playful design for knit fabrics works just as easily as a top as it does a mid-length dress, and both variations feature simply shaped cap sleeves. Rae shares special techniques that make working with knits a breeze, such as using knit clips and shirring...

Privatization has been on the right-wing agenda for years, but now it has the power of the Bush administration behind it. Health care, schools, Social Security, public lands, the military, prisons -- all are considered fair game. But does privatization really serve the public good? Or is it a payoff to powerful corporations intent on replacing the government with a "private profit culture," in which there is no meaningful public accountability and...