Briefly Noted Book Reviews
The New Yorker
February 23, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
The article highlights four notable new books that explore themes ranging from far-right extremism and global literature to immigrant identity and historical conflict. Christopher Mathias’ *To Catch a Fascist* delves into the Antifa movement’s efforts to expose and disrupt far-right groups, revealing how activists use social stigma to combat white-supremacist ideologies. Meanwhile, Elleke Boehmer’s *Southern Imagining* offers a lyrical exploration of southern literature, examining themes of environmental fragility and exploitation through works from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Patmeena Sabit’s *Good People* presents a devastating debut novel about an Afghan immigrant family shattered by tragedy, while Liadan Ní Chuinn’s *Every One Still Here* captures the lingering impact of the Troubles in Northern Ireland through a collection of charged stories.
In *To Catch a Fascist*, Mathias, a seasoned journalist, provides an absorbing account of how Antifa activists infiltrate and expose far-right groups, often at personal risk. The book highlights the tension between the growing normalization of white nationalism, as seen in the rise of figures like Donald Trump, and the persistent social costs of being
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Originally published on The New Yorker on 2/23/2026