‘This Will Finish Us’
How Gulf princes, the safari industry, and conservation groups are displacing the Maasai from the last of their Serengeti homeland
May 2024
In This Issue
The great Serengeti land grab, clashing patriarchs, Gary Shteyngart on the Icon of the Seas, the man who died for the liberal arts, and BlackPlanet. Plus a study in Senate cowardice, Theo Von, George Orwell's escape, a speechwriter's archives, Christine Blasey Ford, LaToya Ruby Frazier's family ties, and more.
Cover Story
Get the digital edition of this issue.
Subscribers can access PDF versions of every issue in The Atlantic archive. When you subscribe, you’ll not only enjoy all of The Atlantic’s writing, past and present; you’ll also be supporting a bright future for our journalism.Features
Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever
Seven agonizing nights aboard the Icon of the Seas
Clash of the Patriarchs
A hard-line Russian bishop backed by the political might of the Kremlin could split the Orthodox Church in two.
The Homepage of the Black Internet
Revisiting BlackPlanet, and a lost era when social media was still fun
The Man Who Died for the Liberal Arts
In 1942, aboard ship and heading for war, a young sailor—my uncle—wrote a letter home, describing and defining the principles he was fighting for.
Miranda’s Last Gift
When our daughter died suddenly, she left us with grief, memories—and Ringo.
Our Last Great Adventure
My husband, Richard Goodwin, drafted landmark speeches for JFK and LBJ. Late in life, we dived into his archives, searching for vivid traces of our hopeful youth.
Dispatches
Photo-illustration by Paul Spella* A Study in Senate Cowardice
Republicans like Rob Portman could have ended Donald Trump’s political career. They chose not to.
© 2024 LaToya Ruby Frazier, courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery Family Ties
LaToya Ruby Frazier’s intimate, intergenerational portraits
Culture & Critics
Illustration by Paul Spella. Source: Daniele Venturelli / WireImage / Getty. Is Theo Von the Next Joe Rogan?
Or is he something else entirely?
Photo-illustration by The Atlantic. Source: ZUMA Press / Alamy. Christine Blasey Ford Testifies Again
Her new memoir doubles as a modern-day horror story.
Illustration by Nicolás Ortega. Sources: Christophe Lehenaff / Getty; Xia Yuan / Getty. What’s So Bad About Asking Where Humans Came From?
Human origin stories have often been used for nefarious purposes. That doesn’t mean they are worthless.
James Zucco What Orwell Really Feared
In 1946, the author repaired to the remote Isle of Jura and wrote his masterpiece, 1984. What was he looking for?
Departments
Linda Cataffo / NY Daily News Archive / Getty In Memoriam: William Whitworth, 1937–2024
The longtime editor of The Atlantic believed in the sanctity of facts—and the need to fortify the magazine continually with new voices and writing driven by ideas.
The Atlantic The Commons: ‘The U.S. Has a Gun Addiction’
Readers respond to our March 2024 cover story.
The Atlantic Caleb's Inferno: May 2024
A devilish crossword puzzle
Poetry
Arctic-Images / Getty
