Today in The New York Review of Books: Rumaan Alam tracks the lives of delivery drivers; Joanna Biggs reads Makenna Goodman’s mythical new novel; Sanford Schwartz looks at a riveting exhibition of Paul Klee’s late work; and, from the archives, Christopher Carroll on Sonny Rollins.

Rumaan Alam
On the Road

Hu Anyan’s memoir about delivering packages in Beijing is disarmingly direct about the human cost of modern logistics.

Joanna Biggs
Enter Man

Makenna Goodman’s new novel, Helen of Nowhere, offers up an exhilarating myth for men who need to be shuffled offstage.

Sanford Schwartz
The Fairy-Tale Hour

An exhibition of Paul Klee’s late works focuses on his depictions of the atmosphere of violence and intimidation in Germany after the Nazis came to power.

Free from the Archives

Sonny Rollins, a giant of jazz, died on Monday, age ninety-five. In the Review’s September 27, 2012, issue, Christopher Carroll wrote about the saxophonist who, “even at eighty-two, [was] still capable of playing with the same brilliance that first made giants like Parker, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk take an interest in him in the 1950s.” That same year Rollins was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, and by 2014 he had stopped playing music entirely. But he continued releasing live albums, a mode, Carroll argued, that brought out his best: “Another Sonny Rollins emerged on stage. This was the musician who had learned the art of crowd pleasing from Louis Jordan; who emerged years later from Charlie Parker’s long shadow; and who had devoured and assimilated every avant-garde idiom while still remaining, ultimately, himself.”

Christopher Carroll
The Sound of Sonny Rollins

In spite of his advanced age, Rollins remains one of jazz’s most talented improvisers. He has almost inexhaustible stamina, complete control of his instrument, and a seemingly bottomless reservoir of musical knowledge (ranging from jazz standards and pop to folk songs and classical music), to say nothing of his decades of experience playing with almost every major figure in jazz.

Recently in the Review

Greg Grandin
The Education of Pope Leo XIV

Francis could at times get caught up in Jesuitical metaphysics when discussing the divinity of the poor. Leo, the son of a Chicago schoolteacher, generally uses simpler language to convey his commitment to the vulnerable and his opposition to militarism—and to make his own contribution to the de-Marxification of liberation theology.… It is as if, by invoking the “poor” and the “people” rather than Marx, you can say the most radical things.

Zadie Smith
Art for Our Sakes

We know empathy to be a fallible, changeable quality. But it is also the case that in empathy’s complete absence fresh hells are born. It’s worth noting, I think, that the strain of literary thought that has in recent years flirted with a heavy disdain—even a florid contempt—for the concept of empathy happens to share that contempt with the late Charlie Kirk, who said of the concept, “I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new-age term that…does a lot of damage.”

Minority Opinion:
The End of Voting Rights and the Future of Elections

Monday, June 1, 2026, at 5:00 PM EDT

New York Review contributors David Cole, Sherrilyn Ifill, and Pamela Karlan come together for a wide-ranging conversation on the consequences of the Supreme Court’s death blow to the Voting Rights Act. The conversation will last approximately ninety minutes, including a question-and-answer period. The event is pay-what-you-wish (with a suggested fee of $10) and open to the public.

Register Now

New Subscriber Benefit!

Subscribers are now able to share unlocked versions of our articles with friends, family, and social media channels. When signed in to your account, look for this gift box icon in any of our articles.

Special Offer
Subscribe for just $1 an issue

Get the deal

Politics   Literature   Arts   Ideas

You are receiving this message because you signed up
for email newsletters from The New York Review.

Update your address or preferences

View this newsletter online

The New York Review of Books
207 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016-6305