How Great Thou ArtThe Shows, Movies, Books and Music That Defined 2022 Nothing says 2022 like kitchen chaos, disappointing men, dystopia -- and cake. By The Swaddle Team
Farewell FriendThe Sadness of Finishing Books and Shows, Explained The brain forms 'real' attachments to fictional characters' lives and worlds. By Saumya Kalia
Not Lost In TranslationSally Rooney Boycotts An Israeli Publisher for Translation. What Does It Mean When Artists Take a Stand? The move has received much polarization, but it revives the debate on the impact artists can have when their art meets politics. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Revisionist NostalgiaEnid Blyton Was Racist. Does That Change Our Relationship With the ‘The Famous Five’? The author held deplorable views, but also wrote stories that changed the way children read. Both statements can be true at the same time. By Saumya Kalia
N For NostalgiaCan’t Let Go: Of the Authenticity of ‘Those Pricey Thakur Girls,’ Despite Its Patriarchal Undertones Even though the lead character saves the world to get a man's attention, the book remains a charming, comforting account of an evolving India in the 1980s. By Saumya Kalia
Between The LinesPublic Libraries Once Made Knowledge, Social Debate Accessible. Can Local Projects Revive Them? From street libraries to books in community fridges, new initiatives highlight the social worth of libraries as public spaces. By Saumya Kalia
A Timely LessonFrom Aesop’s Fables to Champak Comics, What Relevance Do Morality Tales Hold Today? Simplistic lessons hide the complexities of the real world and reinforce widely held belief systems, framing a moral compass narrow in its scope. By Saumya Kalia
Most WantedWhy Do True Crime Stories Fascinate Us? “As humans, we want to understand the darker side of our nature.” By Saumya Kalia
Her Name Is25 Historic Women Authors Who Used Male Pseudonyms Will Be Published Using Their Real Names Historically, women authors wrote under male pseudonyms so their work would be taken more seriously. By Aditi Murti
B.A.S.I.CIt’s Okay: to Like Mainstream Movies, Music, Books, and Culture Life is short and lording your superior taste over other people doesn't sound half as good as a "Modern Family" re-run. By Aditi Murti
Looking AheadTechnology Can Help Solve India’s Problem Retaining Women in the Workforce 'Bridgital' solutions use technology to enable access and generate employment -- starting with childcare. By Natarajan Chandrasekaran & Roopa Purushothaman
Audaces Fortuna JuvatAsterix Comics Introduces Adrenaline, Its First Female Hero in 60 Years The beloved French comics will now feature a rebellious adolescent girl hero who keeps Asterix and Obelix on their toes. By Rajvi Desai
Once Upon A TimeAccording to 3.5 Million Books, Women Are Beautiful and Men Are Rational A new study highlights literature's gender bias -- as well as the dangers of AI trained on sexist language. By Liesl Goecker
Prose and ConsRevisiting ‘The Beauty Myth’: What Are the Ethics of Applying Bad Facts to a Good Cause? The message of oppressive beauty standards in Naomi Wolf's feminist classic remains relevant, though faulty statistics plague its credibility. By Aditi Murti
The Best Kind of MagicReshma K. Barshikar’s ‘The Hidden Children’ Reboots High School Witchcraft This YA novel has all of the self-discovery and none of the teenage angst. By Liesl Goecker
No ShamePriya Alika Elias’s ‘Besharam’ Dismantles the Trope of the Good Indian Girl "This vision of the Indian woman that we create is entirely imaginary," Elias writes. By Priya Alika Elias
Still RelevantAuthor Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni on the Value of Epics in the #MeToo Era In 'The Forest of Enchantments' Divakaruni's Sita resists the stereotype of the meek, dutiful Indian wife. By Nadia Nooreyezdan
Book WormFrom “Sick” to “We That Are Young”: The Ultimate Women‑Centric Reading List from 2018 The author of "Cyber Sexy" shares the books that got her through 2018. By Richa Kaul Padte