We’re , , and , editors for The Atlantic, and we’re here to talk about our .
In seeking to identify a new American canon, we defined American as having first been published in the United States and within the past 100 years: a period that contains all manner of literary pleasure and possibility, including the experimentations of postmodernism and the satisfactions of genre fiction. Then we approached experts—scholars, critics, and novelists, both at The Atlantic and outside it—for their suggestions. From there,
we added and subtracted and debated and negotiated and reconsidered until we landed on these 136 titles.
The list includes 45 debut novels, nine winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and three children’s books. Twelve were published before the introduction of the mass-market paperback to America, and 24 after the release of the Kindle. At least 60 have been banned by schools or libraries. Together, they represent the best of what novels can do: challenge us, delight us, pull us in and then release us, a little smarter and a little more alive than we were before.
Read the full list here:
Signing off for now - thanks for all the questions!
Hello! I am Susannah Fox, former Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where I ran a data and innovation lab. I recently published , a field guide to the patient-led revolution in medical care and the four types of health rebels who connect online, hack their own medical devices, conduct personal science, and help each other when the system fails them. My book draws on twenty years of tracking the expert networks of patients, survivors, and caregivers who have navigated the cracks of the health care system and built up our collective capacity for better health. From diabetes to ALS to Moebius Syndrome to chronic disease management, my book shows how the next wave of health innovation will come from the front lines of this patient-led revolution. !
The health rebel alliance is comprised of four archetypes: seekers, networkers, solvers, and champions. Lessons from each archetype demonstrate how people can come together and tap into their collective resilience to address health challenges. Here are just a few examples of the community at work discussed in Rebel Health:
- Long Covid patients documented, named, and got international attention for their condition as it emerged, before any health authorities were tracking it.
- People with Type 1 diabetes were so frustrated with the clunky, patient-keep-out tech they were given that they hacked into their own medical devices, freed the data, and built the tech they needed (including a DIY, open-source, artificial pancreas system).
- People with rare conditions who may never meet anyone in their town or region with the same disease can connect online for support, practical tips, and to pursue new treatment options together.
That's a brief introduction. I am here from 1 - 3 pm EST, so please feel free to ask me anything, including what it was like to work in the Obama Administration, the most useful question to ask at the end of a survey, or the deep history of radical health movements in the U.S.
You can get Rebel Health through your local bookstore or wherever books are sold!
