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Defector

Kelsey McKinney

host Ariana Maddux, in a gold dress, leans inside a heart shaped sculpture

Arts And Culture

I Finally Understand Why I’m Obsessed With ‘Love Island’

Israel Daramola

RIP To ‘Euphoria,’ HBO’s Dumbest Show

<p>Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.</p>


Nicholas Russell

‘Backrooms’ Doesn’t Quite Capture The Weirdness Of The Originals

<p>Joshua C. Kendall was born in New York City. An award-winning freelance journalist, he has written on history,<br />
politics, biography, health care, and neuroscience for many national magazines and newspapers. He is currently an associate fellow of Yale’s Trumbull College. His previous books include <em>First Dads</em>, <em>The Man Who Made Lists</em>, and <em>The Forgotten Founding Father</em>.</p>


Joshua Kendall

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

“Awfulness For Decades”: A Short History Of Trump And Doonesbury

Defector Staff

A photo of a bunch of old-timey green barstools with the cover of the NYRB Classics edition of Robert Coover's Universal Baseball Association in the middle and the Defector Reads A Book logo at left.

Defector Reads A Book

There Is A Whole World In ‘The Universal Baseball Association, Inc. J. Henry Waugh, Prop.’

James Webster

‘The Vivisectors’ Is A Brilliant Novel In Any Reality

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<p>Robert Rubsam writes fiction and nonfiction. His work has appeared in the NYT Magazine, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Baffler, and Liberties. He is a contributing writer for Commonweal Magazine.</p>
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Robert Rubsam

‘Blue Heron’ Is A Revelation

Luis Paez-Pumar

Jenna Lewis Dougherty, Kyle Fraser, Savannah Louie, Q Burdette, Angelina Keeley, Charlie Davis, Kamilla Karthigesu, Genevieve Mushaluk, Colby Donaldson, Dee Valladares, Chrissy Hofbeck, Benjamin "Coach" Wade, Christian Hubicki, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Emily Flippen, Ozzy Lusth, Rick Devens, Cirie Fields, Tiffany Ervin, Rizo Velovic, Joe Hunter, Jonathan Young, and Aubry Bracco attend and Jeff Probst hosts the Survivor 50 Live Finale at the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, California on May 20, 2026.

The ‘Survivor 50’ Finale Was A Dark Omen For The Future

Listening Habits

The Passion Of The Drake: A (Mostly) Objective Review Of His Three New Albums

<p>Sean T. Collins has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Decider, Pitchfork, and many others. He lives with his family on Long Island.</p>


Sean T. Collins

Kill Grogu

David Roth

US former football player Tom Brady walks the runway during the Gucci Cruise 2027 collection fashion show at Times Square in New York on May 16, 2026.

Tom Brady: The Leather Years

Lauren Theisen

Daniel Radcliffe seen onstage during curtain call at "Every Brilliant Thing" Opening Night at Hudson Theatre on March 12, 2026 in New York City.

Daniel Radcliffe Will Talk You Off The Ledge

Patrick Redford

09 June 2023, North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne: Polish author Olga Tokarczuk speaks on the panel at Phil.Cologne, the international festival of philosophy. Photo: Horst Galuschka/dpa (Photo by Horst Galuschka/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The Machines

The Written Word Is Having A Rough Week