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In the following post, Seemee Ali explains why “The New York Review of Books” is such a fantastic resource for students and faculty alike.

“The New York Review of Books” (NYRB) represents an increasingly scarce resource: intelligent public conversation. In the humanities, particularly, the NYRB serves as a bellwether of our ongoing cultural discourse.

The NYRB’s table of contents includes a consideration of Goya’s art by a contemporary novelist, Colm Tóibín, an eminent theatrical director, Robert Brustein, evaluating the cultural force of “The Fiddler on the Roof,” a scathing analysis of Putin’s power politics, “kleptocracy,” in Russia, and an extended discussion of a remarkable, “underground,” online, Chinese journal. This list represents only a fraction of the full contents. The wide breadth of its subject matter is an indication of the NYRB’s awareness of its cultural voice and stature.

The NYRB is the most prominent place where American public intellectuals meet and talk, publicly. Even the “letters” section is worthwhile for someone interested in contemporary intellectual culture. For less noble reasons, the classified personal ads, sometimes brilliantly funny, are worth reading too.

Carthage students need ready access to this kind of intelligent writing. For a student, sources like the NYRB can be educational in obvious ways. For example, the articles consistently demonstrate thoughtful people contemplating questions worthy of their attention. The writing is also consistently excellent. It offers an accessible model of contemporary prose style that aims for something more than sound-bite punchiness.

Moreover, the NYRB might serve as a useful forum to rebel against since its views represent those of a certain intellectual establishment. To challenge these opinion makers, one needs to know their language.

The NYRB can be found on the LIS homepage under research resources or by following this link.