A psychology professor debunks Rhonda Byrne’s world-bestselling book and film – and her theory of personal success through a magical connection with the universe.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Cultural touchstones
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The new TV series, Feud: Capote vs the Swans tells the story behind Answered Prayers, the never-finished gossip novel that made its author a social pariah. But what was in the book – and was it any good?
Christopher Lasch’s sharp-tonged a critique of American society was a product of its time, but has things to say about the present.
The publication 25 years ago of The Ethical Slut shattered social norms and stigma about non-monogamy. It’s now sold over 200,000 copies – and continues to be important.
Helter Skelter was the first and most famous book claiming to tell the ‘truth’ about the 1969 Manson murders. Sally Breen explores the myths and conflicting truths that have emerged over nearly 50 years.
Our health consumes a growing share of our economy and our attention, but we are not in great shape. Even as a ruinous pandemic subsides, epidemics of chronic disease, obesity, addiction and mental illness…
Ayn Rand’s dystopian fable about government meddling in free-market arrangements remains hugely influential, including with Elon Musk. Donald Trump, too, is an Ayn Rand fan. Why is she so popular?
Marijane Meaker was a lesbian pulp fiction trailblazer who wrote bestselling YA fiction as M.E. Kerr. She was also Patricia Highsmith’s lover.
In a new edition of his classic work, Suzuki suggests the major crises we face – pandemics, climate disruption, biodiversity loss – all have roots in our lack of recognition of our place in nature.
Erving Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life is a ‘bible’ for scholars, voted a top 10 book of the 20th century. It also fascinated general readers, as a guide to social manners.
Four years after its release, My Year of Rest and Relaxation has become a publishing and cultural phenomenon – with TikTok trends and film rights bought by Margot Robbie. But is it exploitative?
A lucid, demanding book on the psychology and neurobiology of trauma has become a publishing phenomenon. It resonates, writes Nick Haslam, with an age in which people are seeing trauma everywhere.
Top contributors
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Professor of Psychology, The University of Melbourne
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Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor, Department of English, Creative Writing and Film, University of Adelaide
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Course Coordinator, Media Law and Ethics, University of South Australia
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Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Deakin University
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Associate Professor in Social Sciences, University of Canberra
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Associate Professor, Griffith University
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Senior Lecturer & Research Fellow, La Trobe University
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Professor, School of Psychology, University of Adelaide
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Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Justice and Society, UniSA, University of South Australia
