A Book Review Critics’ Roundtable
Summary
New York Times critics Jennifer Salai, Dwight Garner, and Alexandra Jacobs discuss the 2026 literary landscape, describing it as a year of "searching," "impudent," and "oppositional" works. They address the impact of artificial intelligence on writing and recommend standout titles, including Marlon James’s *The Disappears*, Min Jin Lee’s *American Hagwon*, and Gail Feldman’s biography of Bennett Cerf. The conversation also highlights essential reads for understanding the current political and cultural moment, such as *Biological War* and *Into the Woodchipper*.
Topics discussed
Sponsor: Instagram teen safety features
Introduction to NYT staff book critics
Defining the vibe of 2026 in literature
Critics' words for the year: Transformation and luck
Alexandra Jacobs on oppositional themes
The impact of AI on language and writing
Detecting AI voice and the economy of text
What critics look for: webs and voice
The value of surprise and story in nonfiction
Sponsors: Instagram, Apple Card, and SNHU
Reader's Radar: Nothing Random by Gail Feldman
Reader's Radar: Religious and recovery memoir
Reader's Radar: The Disappears by Marlon James
Reader's Radar: Hagwon and Korean education
Book that made me: Lives Other Than My Own
Books that made me: Classics and memoirs
Books that made me: Betsy Tacey and Updike
Sponsors: Instagram and SNHU
Understanding 2026: The dismantling of USAID
Understanding 2026: New novels and digital life
Understanding 2026: Biographies and midlife resurgence
Final shout-outs and closing credits
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