ARCHIVE:

Assessment

Helen Gurley Brown

America’s most puritanical wild woman.

David Plotz | ASSESSMENT | Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, at 4:42 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Hemingway

How the great American novelist became the literary equivalent of the Nike swoosh.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Friday, March 16, 2012, at 6:05 AM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Tintin

How Hergé’s boy reporter invented the Hollywood blockbuster.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at 12:44 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Haruki Murakami

The secret to his success. Hint: It’s not great writing.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, at 11:27 AM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Lady Gaga

Pop's leading conservative.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, at 11:56 AM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Book Clubs

Why do we love them so much? Is it the zucchini bread?

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Friday, July 29, 2011, at 10:54 AM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Pie

It's gloppy, it's soggy, it's un-American.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Friday, June 3, 2011, at 12:52 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Saturday Night Live

The embarrassing uncle of American comedy.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Friday, May 20, 2011, at 5:26 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
David Foster Wallace

Why he inspires such devotion in his fans.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Thursday, April 21, 2011, at 12:06 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Simon Winchester

The historian as tour guide.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at 6:56 AM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Charlie Sheen

He may be winning, but we're losing.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Thursday, March 10, 2011, at 5:52 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
The Stutterer

How he makes his voice heard.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011, at 7:24 AM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Natalie Portman

A movie star for a generation of overprogrammed children.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011, at 6:53 AM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
The Birder

The ominous rise of amateur ornithology.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Friday, Jan. 14, 2011, at 2:07 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Sofia Coppola

You either love her or hate her. Here's why.

Nathan Heller | ASSESSMENT | Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2010, at 7:33 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
McCain's BFF

Lindsey Graham may be more valuable as McCain's running buddy than as his running mate.

Melinda Henneberger | ASSESSMENT | Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008, at 12:46 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
WTF, WKW?

How Wong Kar-wai lost his way.

Grady Hendrix | ASSESSMENT | Thursday, April 3, 2008, at 5:03 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Jeff Zucker 2.0

The golden boy of television takes on the Web.

Rebecca Dana | ASSESSMENT | Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007, at 5:55 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Tenaciously Disappointing

The tragic squandering of Jack Black's awesomeness.

Sam Anderson | ASSESSMENT | Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2006, at 2:19 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Troubadork

Twenty-five years of "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Sam Anderson | ASSESSMENT | Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006, at 3:25 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Zach Braff

Why is this guy the voice of my generation?

Josh Levin | ASSESSMENT | Friday, Sept. 22, 2006, at 4:59 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Billie Jean King

An equal-opportunity rabble-rouser.

June Thomas | ASSESSMENT | Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006, at 4:27 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Ehud Olmert

Israel's prime minister had one epiphany. He needs another.

Gershom Gorenberg | ASSESSMENT | Friday, July 21, 2006, at 6:20 AM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
A Prairie Home Conundrum

The mysterious appeal of Garrison Keillor.

Sam Anderson | ASSESSMENT | Friday, June 16, 2006, at 3:28 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet
Ray Nagin

Mayor on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Josh Levin | ASSESSMENT | Friday, Sept. 2, 2005, at 7:14 PM ET

Comment

Like

Tweet

Assessment

America’s most puritanical wild woman.

How the great American novelist became the literary equivalent of the Nike swoosh.

How Hergé’s boy reporter invented the Hollywood blockbuster.

The secret to his success. Hint: It’s not great writing.

Pop's leading conservative.

Why do we love them so much? Is it the zucchini bread?

It's gloppy, it's soggy, it's un-American.

The embarrassing uncle of American comedy.

Why he inspires such devotion in his fans.

The historian as tour guide.

He may be winning, but we're losing.

How he makes his voice heard.

A movie star for a generation of overprogrammed children.

The ominous rise of amateur ornithology.

You either love her or hate her. Here's why.

Lindsey Graham may be more valuable as McCain's running buddy than as his running mate.

How Wong Kar-wai lost his way.

The golden boy of television takes on the Web.

The tragic squandering of Jack Black's awesomeness.

Twenty-five years of "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Why is this guy the voice of my generation?

An equal-opportunity rabble-rouser.

Israel's prime minister had one epiphany. He needs another.

The mysterious appeal of Garrison Keillor.

Mayor on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

From The Root & Foreign Policy