On Thinking for Yourself
Instinct, Education, Dissension
Seven essays that make the compelling case for coming to your own informed conclusions in an age of extremes. An Atlantic Edition, featuring long-form journalism by Atlantic writers, drawn from contemporary articles or classic storytelling from the magazine’s 165-year archive.
Caitlin Flanagan’s two decades of celebrated reporting and commentary at The Atlantic span an array of subjects — from cancer to fraternities, abortion to scammers — but always return to one central question: What happens when we suppress our critical instincts and shut our ears to opposing opinions and competing facts? With poise, humour and an analytical acumen unlike any other working journalist, this collection of deep reporting and cultural commentary encourages readers to dismantle their echo chambers — whether they be social media feeds or lecture halls — and embrace disagreement.
Caitlin Flanagan has written for The Atlantic since 2001 and she is a former staff writer for the New Yorker. Her subjects have included modern family life; college admissions; adolescence; sexuality; and the culture wars. Her essays have been widely anthologised, including in the Best American Essays, Best American Travel Writing, and Best American Magazine Writing series. She is the author of two books, To Hell with All That and Girl Land. She was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and she has won a National Magazine Award for Reviews and Criticism. Flanagan grew up in Berkeley and now lives in Los Angeles. Before becoming a writer, she was an English teacher and college counsellor at Harvard-Westlake school.
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