The 'signature novel' of the decade
Junot Díaz's 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' cited as a defining work
Not easy being green
MIT historian Harriet Ritvo explains how a battle to save an English lake helped found modern environmentalism — but might worry greens today
Travels With Melville: Wyn Kelley's excellent adventure
Melville scholarship takes Kelley to Tahiti, the Galapagos, China, and the Middle East
Three of a kind
MIT linguist Shigeru Miyagawa explains how the hidden similarities of English, Japanese, and some forms of Bantu reveal language’s universal essence.