I write about books at https://roncharles.substack.com/
Ron Charles
Man who “earned” $47 million last year tells world’s laborers not to worry about AI taking their jobs. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/22/o...
Ann Patchett's "Whistler" is a story of reconciliation, old affections renewed, and a family's circumference enlarged.
My review: roncharles.substack.com/p/ann-patche...
One writer sat silently on stage for an hour at the Hay Festival because lawyers admonished her not to speak.
Sarah Wynn-Williams's silence echoes a larger threat: a Trump administration proposal that could impose years-long gag orders on federal employees. roncharles.substack.com/p/keep-your-...
American leaders are growing increasingly hostile to dissent — which makes "Protest: Respect It. Defend It. Use It." feel especially urgent.
Today’s newsletter is about the long, vivid history of people who refused to be quiet.
roncharles.substack.com/p/the-right-...
Maggie O’Farrell’s “Land” opens in Ireland in 1865, in the stunned silence after the Great Hunger.
It’s a rich, uncanny novel about grief, memory, and the mysteries buried in the soil.
My review: roncharles.substack.com/p/in-maggie-...
Ron Charles
Ron Charles
Not the Onion!
“Does Florida Have an Affordability Problem? We Asked Sen. Rick Scott”
www.wsj.com/us-news/does...
Ben Fountain has written a satire so absurd it keeps bumping into America's bonkers political reality.
My review of “Rasputin Swims the Potomac”: roncharles.substack.com/p/ben-founta...
Had a great time this morning on @the1a.org talking about new books for summer: the1a.org/segments/ron...
Scams are as old as time.
AI is about to make them terrifyingly good.
Today’s newsletter:
roncharles.substack.com/p/of-course-...
Ron Charles
Ron Charles
We’ve got the man, the voice, to guide you.
the1a.org
A hypnotic wrestler joins forces with the president in “Rasputin Swims the Potomac”
A suburban mom with true-crime fantasies and a talent for bad decisions.
Cassandra Neyenesch’s “A Little Bit Bad” is funny, unsettling, and sneakily sharp about class and self-delusion.
My Tuesday review: roncharles.substack.com/p/the-erotic...
Ron Charles
In Cassandra Neyenesch’s “A Little Bit Bad,” a suburban mom hunts for her lover’s killer.
