Welcome to Current Affairs. My name is Nathan Robinson. I am the editor-in-chief of Current Affairs

Magazine, and I am joined today by Becca Rothfeld. She is the non-fiction book critic at the

Washington Post's book world.

She's also published all over the place, including the New York Times Book Review, New Yorker

Book Forum.

You may have seen her byline in many places.

She's also been shortlisted for a National Magazine Award, and she is the winner of the Robert

Silver's Prize for Literary Criticism.

In fact, she is recognized as one of the foremost literary critics of her generation.

Becker Rothfeld. Welcome to current affairs.

Hello. I try to live up to all of that and probably fail most of the time.

I think you will. I think you do.

And I think if people want to see whether you do, they can pick up a new book that you are here to discuss,

which is all things are too small.

Or as I've been calling it in my head, all things are too damn small.

Yeah, that's a fair addition.

Although it's due injustice to the quote it comes from, but it isn't improved.

Oh, okay.

Sorry.

It's just how I like to think of it.

Essays and praise of excess.

And just to start, when someone picks up the book, All Things are Too too small by Becca Rothfeld, they will first see

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