Historical parallels don't work in Iran.

Green jobs are sprouting in Denver.

The high court's misplaced modesty.

What we don't know can hurt us.

He was a music legend and a legendary oddball. Now that he's gone, perhaps we can finally answer the question: who was Michael Jackson?

We know it's insane. We know people will ask why on earth we think that an 1875 British satirical novel is the book you need to read right now—or, for that matter, why it even made the cut. The fact is, no one needs another best-of list telling you how great The Great Gatsby is. What we do need, in a world with precious little time to read (and think), is to know which books—new or old, fiction or nonfiction—open a window on the times we live in, whether they deal directly with the issues of today or simply help us see ourselves in new and surprising ways. Which is why we'd like you to sit down with Anthony Trollope, and these 49 other remarkably trenchant voices.

Like old friends and favorite haunts, some books reward revisiting.

The Collyer Brothers were the world's most famous pack rats. In his forthcoming book, the novelist fashions a treasure from their trash.