logo
A Novel About a Father's Choice

A Novel About a Father's Choice

Yahoo09-03-2025
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.
Welcome back to The Daily's Sunday culture edition, in which one Atlantic writer or editor reveals what's keeping them entertained. Today's special guest is Shane Harris, a staff writer who covers intelligence and national-security issues. He has written about the Trump administration's military purge, what happens to federal agencies when DOGE takes over, and how Elon Musk is breaking the national-security system.
Shane recommends reading Bewilderment, by Richard Powers, a novel that is 'freighted with insight, dread, hope, and often a mixture of the three.' He also enjoys daily online etymology lessons, studying Old Masters paintings, and listening to the film scores of the late composer Jóhann Jóhannsson.
First, here are three Sunday reads from The Atlantic:
The telepathy trap
America's cultural revolution
Trump is breaking the fourth wall.
The Culture Survey: Shane Harris
The best novel I've recently read: Bewilderment, by Richard Powers. Like its predecessor—the towering, sylvan epic The Overstory—this novel worries about the possibly untenable relationship between humanity and the natural world. The books are thematically and stylistically similar; nearly every paragraph is freighted with insight, dread, hope, and often a mixture of the three. But Bewilderment is a quieter and more tangible story that sometimes felt like it could be The Overstory's prequel. They are perfect companions, so if you've read one, read the other. [Related: The novel that asks, 'What went wrong with mankind?']
If you've read neither, give yourself the gift! Bewilderment follows a widowed astrobiologist named Theo Byrne, who is desperate to contain the volatile, emotional outbursts of his 9-year-old son. Robin is a prime target for bullies at school because of his affliction, which presents as a neurodivergent constellation and makes him acutely, sometimes painfully, aware of the physical degradation of the Earth and all the nonhumans that inhabit it.
Desperate for some treatment that doesn't use medication, Theo has Robin try an experimental neurofeedback therapy that allows him to spend time with a version of his dead mother's consciousness. The ramifications are … not 'bewildering,' per se, but profoundly altering. When you finish the book, ask yourself, as I did, whether you would have made the same choice to bring even a modicum of relief for your child.
The best work of nonfiction I've recently read: I don't love the term revisionist history, but Heretic: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God, by Catherine Nixey, is a highly readable book that revised my understanding of early Christianity and my thoughts about the Catholic Church. I'll leave it to historians to debate the quality of Nixey's scholarship—I'm way out of my depth there, but the book seems impeccably sourced and added to my evolving view on the nature of religion.
Nixey proposes that, contrary to the Catholic Church's teachings, there was no clear agreement in Christianity's early centuries about who Jesus was and why he mattered. Her argument is persuasive, and it excites me the way great investigative journalism does. Her book is as much a hunt to unearth old stories as it is an indictment of the Church fathers who buried them.
The last museum show that I loved: I had only a few free hours when I was in Munich last month for the annual Security Conference, so I went to the Alte Pinakothek, which houses one of the world's most significant collections of Old Masters paintings. I wasn't prepared for the physical scale and the beauty of this collection—and I saw only a fraction of it. I have never spent much time on this period of art because I've never been a huge fan of Christian imagery, which always struck me as redundant. The Alte Pinakothek converted me. There is just so much more to know about that epoch than I understood, and much of the knowledge is in that museum. I could have spent days there.
A quiet song that I love, and a loud song that I love: 'If Christopher Calls,' by Foy Vance, and 'What's the Frequency, Kenneth?,' by R.E.M.
An online creator that I'm a fan of: Tom Read Wilson. I start most mornings with his word or phrase of the day on Instagram. Tom is a devoted lover of spoken language and a keen etymologist. He recently explained the Latin origins of the word risible, and demonstrated how it could be used positively and negatively. He shares colorful figures of speech from Australia, South Africa, and the American South, always in a regionally appropriate accent. (His Texas twang is really good.) On weekends, he will recite a Shakespearean sonnet—he is learning and performing all of them in order.
That's all great. But I think Tom is at his best when he eschews the high-minded stuff. I first encountered him when the Instagram algorithm served up his straight-faced explanation of a 'shit sandwich.' 'Now, I don't mean a sandwich containing fecal matter, nor do I mean a really rubbish panini,' Tom explained. He asked us to imagine a three-paragraph email in which bad news or criticism is sandwiched between more pleasant and easier-to-swallow sentences. Well, we've all received one of those! [Related: The two most dismissive words on the internet]
A musical artist who means a lot to me: Jóhann Jóhannsson, the Icelandic composer who is probably best known for his collaboration with the filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Jóhannsson scored Prisoners, Sicario, and Arrival, which is one of my 10 favorite films of all time. (Sicario, by the way, is a movie that bears rewatching in light of the actions that the U.S. government is poised to take against Mexican drug cartels.) I am also captivated by Jóhannsson's score for his own film, Last and First Men. He died from a drug overdose two years before the release; the composer Yair Elazar Glotman finished the music and collaborated with other superb musicians, including Hildur Guðnadóttir, who won an Oscar in 2020 for scoring Joker. [Related: The blockbuster that Hollywood was afraid to make]
I love Jóhannsson's film scores and often listen to them while I write. But don't overlook his studio albums. Fordlandia, inspired by a failed utopia that Henry Ford wanted to build in the jungles of Brazil, is so thematically coherent that you could imagine it was written for a movie. Jóhannsson's work is often dark, brooding, and eerie, but it can be surprisingly melodic, and I love that he treats any object that can make a sound as a musical instrument. He occupies the same place in my imagination as Philip Seymour Hoffman, the actor who also died far too young from an overdose. They would surely have given us more masterpieces, but any artist would envy the body of work they left behind.
The Week Ahead
Black Bag, Steven Soderbergh's new spy-thriller film about an intelligence agent whose wife is accused of betraying her country (in theaters Friday)
Season 3 of The Wheel of Time, a fantasy series about five young villagers who are part of an ancient prophecy (out Thursday)
Liquid: A Love Story, a novel by Mariam Rahmani about a Muslim scholar who leaves her career in academia to marry rich instead (out Tuesday)
Essay
What Ketamine Does to the Human Brain
By Shayla Love
What Ketamine Does to the Human BrainBy Shayla LoveLast month, during Elon Musk's appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, as he hoisted a chain saw in the air, stumbled over some of his words, and questioned whether there was really gold stored in Fort Knox, people on his social-media platform, X, started posting about ketamine.
Read the full article.
More in Culture
Cling to your disgust.
When a celebrity offers a 'harsh reality check'
The nicest swamp on the internet
'Dear James': My husband is a mess.
Coaching is the new 'asking your friends for help.'
A thriller that's most fun when it's boring
Conan O'Brien understood the assignment.
Catch Up on
Mitch McConnell and the president he calls 'despicable'
Trump's most inexplicable decision yet
Martin Baron: Where Jeff Bezos went wrong with The Washington Post
Photo Album
Revelers watch a giant wooden installation depicting a mill tower burn during the annual celebration of Maslenitsa at the Nikola-Lenivets art park southwest of Moscow, on March 1, 2025. The cherished Russian folk festival has its origins in an ancient Slavic holiday marking the end of winter and spring's arrival.
Spend time with photos of the week, including a caretaking humanoid robot in Japan, prayers for Pope Francis in Brazil, a polar-bear-plunge record attempt in the Czech Republic, and more.
When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.
Article originally published at The Atlantic
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

David Letterman on ‘gutless' cancellation of Colbert's show: ‘Pure cowardice'
David Letterman on ‘gutless' cancellation of Colbert's show: ‘Pure cowardice'

The Hill

time9 minutes ago

  • The Hill

David Letterman on ‘gutless' cancellation of Colbert's show: ‘Pure cowardice'

Comedian David Letterman on Friday joined the chorus of late-night hosts to bash CBS News after it announced it would sunset 'The Late Show' after more than three decades on air, while praising host Stephen Colbert as a 'martyr.' Letterman — the show's first host — alluded to the recent $16 million settlement between CBS's parent company Paramount Global and the Trump administration, and its expected merger with entertainment giant Skydance, when he called the decision to nix the program 'gutless.' 'I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS who have manipulated and handled this are going to be embarrassed because this is gutless,' he said during a recorded chat with his former 'Late Show' producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. 'I only wish this could happen to me. This would have been so great for me.' Paramount called the move 'purely a financial decision' and not related to the show's performance or content. Letterman, like other press advocates and some Democrats, did not seem satisfied with that answer. Instead, the 'Late Show' veteran cast the blame on who he called the 'Oracle twins,' referring to billionaire Larry Ellison and his son David Ellison, who is set to lead the 'New Paramount' after the Federal Communications Commission gave the greenlight for Skydance to acquire the company. The merger is expected to be completed by Aug. 7. 'There's no fairness to these goons,' Letterman said, adding 'These guys are bottom feeders. That's exactly what this is.' 'Of course, they know that broadcast television is withering, so now they want, just want to make sure on top of buying something that doesn't have the same value as it had 30 years ago. They don't want to be hassled by the United States government,' he continued. 'So, they want CBS to take care of all of that mess.' The comedian also blasted CBS's decision to settle with Trump after he sued '60 Minutes' over an interview with former Vice President Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign as 'pure cowardice.' Top names in late-night television — such as Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart and Seth Meyers — have defended Colbert, who has openly raised concerns over Paramount's recent decisions. Letterman was no different. 'Now, for Stephen, I love this. He's a martyr. Good for him, right?' he told his former producers. 'Now we've all got to kiss Stephen Colbert's ring now,' he quipped later. 'And if you listen carefully, you can hear them unfolding chairs at the Hall of Fame for his induction, right?' Colbert, who took the reins from Letterman in 2015, has gone back-and-forth with Trump in recent days. 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,' the president wrote in a post on Truth Social earlier this week after the company revealed it would end the show in May 2026. The comedian replied, 'How dare you, sir. Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism: 'Go f‑‑‑ yourself.''

How Stephen Colbert Has Pushed Back Against CBS With the Help of His Late Night Peers
How Stephen Colbert Has Pushed Back Against CBS With the Help of His Late Night Peers

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

How Stephen Colbert Has Pushed Back Against CBS With the Help of His Late Night Peers

If you're not watching 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' right now, you're missing appointment television. To say the gloves have come off since Colbert's cancellation announcement last week would be a gross understatement. Not that Colbert really ever held back on his opinions, but a host scorned hath more fury. On Thursday, July 24, he even introduced a monologue cut-away segment 'Show Un-Cancelled.' Of course, that announcement turns out to be a fake-out — and the graphic used for it supposedly cost $40 million. That one's light hearted — no more scathing than what 'Arrested Development' threw down in its last season on Fox (anyone old enough to remember that reference?). Throughout the first week of shows as a fallen angel, however, Colbert repeatedly seemed to play chicken with his network, CBS, and its parent company, Paramount, which just got the OK from the Trump Justice Department for a merger with Skydance (set to close August 7.) Not only did he reference the cancellation and the Skydance deal numerous times, he also went even harder on Trump. More from IndieWire 'Pluribus' First Look: Rhea Seehorn Reunites with 'Better Call Saul' Co-Creator Vince Gilligan for New Series About Perils of Happiness How a Scene from 'Get Out' Kickstarted Composer Cameron Moody's Career An then the other late night shows went just as hard (or harder) on CBS and Paramount. On Monday, July 21, most of the other hosts even appeared in a Colbert segment, showcasing support for their competitor. References abounded in their own segments — some humorous, some ominous warnings — including some strong words from Jon Stewart on 'The Daily Show,' which airs on fellow Paramount property Comedy Central. 'Shows that say something, shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid — this is not a 'We speak truth to power.' We don't. We speak opinions to television cameras. But we try. We fucking try, every night,' Stewart said. 'And if you believe, as corporations or as networks, you can make yourself so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar — A) Why will anyone watch you? And [B)] you are fucking wrong.' Fellow hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, meanwhile, seem to be next on Trump's cancellation wish list — considering he called for their cancellation and all. Fallon has been on vacation, and therefore has not had a monologue with which to respond. He did, however, write a statement that told the network, 'Fuck you and all your Sheldons CBS.' On the July 21 show, Fallon said, 'I am your host, well… at least for tonight. I don't like it. I don't like what's going on one bit.' Fallon did get in a dig at CBS' streaming platform, adding, 'And many people are now threatening to boycott the network. Yep. CBS could lose millions of viewers plus tens of hundreds watching on Paramount+.' 'The Tonight Show' host also sang about Trump's continued Epstein drama and his late night interests in the song below. Comedy Central seems to have gotten the last laugh — so far, at least — on the whole debacle. The AI-segment seen 'round the world this week came courtesy of 'South Park,' who delivered perhaps the most blistering satire of President Donald Trump yet. This came just hours after the series closed a deal with Paramount to continue for another five years, and just a day before the Justice Department approved the merger. The Wednesday, July 23 episode of 'South Park' also spoke quite literally to the Skydance deal in a scene involving none other than Jesus Christ. 'You guys saw what happened to CBS,' Christ mutters through gritted teeth. 'Well guess who owns CBS? Paramount! You really want to end up like Colbert? Then on July 25, former 'Late Show' legend David Letterman, Colbert's predecessor, chimed in on his YouTube channel. 'I don't think it was money… it was pure cowardice,' Letterman said, going on to praise 'precise, crisp, witty political satirist' Colbert. He then addressed CBS/Paramount's decision, saying 'What the fuck is Skydance, honest to Christ? Is it a discount airline? Is that what it is? I think one day, if not today, the people at CBS, who have manipulated and handled this are going to be embarrassed because this is this is gutless. I only wish this could happen to me… Fighting with network television management was number one in the playbook.' But no one went harder on Paramount than Colbert himself. In its statements discussing 'The Late Show' cancellation, Paramount repeatedly made mention of the show's $40 million annual losses. This figure has been questioned, and it was a number referenced repeatedly by Colbert all week. 'I could see us losing $24 million, but where could Paramount have possibly spent the other 16… Oh yeah,' he said on the July 21 episode. In the July 23 episode, he referenced how Trump claimed that CBS/Paramount would be providing another $20 million a year in administration-approved airtime. 'By bending the knee, they lost like $40 million this year,' Colbert said. 'They better watch out. They might get canceled for purely financial reasons.' This was just the tip of the iceberg for Colbert. It almost seems as if the stalwart late night presence is daring CBS to cancel him before May 2026, an idea also postured this week by Time. Certainly his tone was not one that sounds… uh, let's say copasetic, with his employers. But you be the judge. What's Colbert's game? Here's a few of his daring comments from the week's shows, mined from his full monologues: 'Over the weekend it sunk in that they're killing off our show. But they made one mistake: They left me alive!' 'All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't hide who Dumpty humped with his friend.' 'It's not a great look when you fly on the pedophile's plane enough times to earn diamond pervert status.' 'What are you gonna tell me next — that the Pope is in the Catholic files? That a bear is on the cover of this month's Modern Woods Pooper?' And of course, he did also say succinctly, 'The President was buddies with a pedophile.' The gloves certainly are off. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See

Paramount, Skydance expected to close deal on Aug. 7
Paramount, Skydance expected to close deal on Aug. 7

The Hill

time3 hours ago

  • The Hill

Paramount, Skydance expected to close deal on Aug. 7

Paramount and Skydance announced Friday that, with the Trump administration's approval, the highly anticipated merger between the entertainment giants is expected to take place next month. The Aug. 7 date, unveiled in a press release, comes after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday allowed Skydance's acquisition of Paramount to move forward after the merger was first proposed last year. FCC Chair Brendan Carr in announcing the decision said he welcomed Skydance's commitment to remaining 'unbiased' in its journalism and willingness to promote 'a diversity of viewpoints across the political and ideological spectrum.' 'Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly,' Carr added. 'It is time for a change.' The move caps off months of turmoil between Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, and President Trump. Trump sued CBS's '60 Minutes' last year after he argued an interview it aired with former Vice President Harris was altered in her favor during the 2024 presidential election cycle. While the company fought the claims, including releasing a full transcript from the episode, it ultimately settled with the administration for $16 million. Those funds are set to go to Trump's eventual presidential library. The news outlet has also faced criticism in recent days after CBS made the decision to sunset 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' next May, after more than 30 years on air. Paramount said the move was based on finances, but critics have argued the settlement and Skydance deal were likely involved — and bribery allegations have been floated. Comedian Stephen Colbert, who has hosted the show since 2015, has been openly critical of the merger. Colbert blasted the network earlier this week for choosing to axe the show and thanked those who have reached out in support, including Democrats, press freedom advocates and many of his late-night counterparts. He added that 'one key mistake' the network made when moving forward with the plan is that 'they left me alive.' Colbert also lashed out at Trump after the president said in a post online that he 'absolutely' loved that the comedian was getting 'fired.' 'How dare you, sir,' the host responded. 'Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism: 'Go f‑‑‑ yourself.'' Under the terms of the $8 billion merger, the company will become 'New Paramount' and will be led by Trump-ally and billionaire David Ellison, the son of tech tycoon and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store