The Washington Post, under billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, has just laid off 300 journalists, shuttering entire sections including its acclaimed sports section and getting rid of all its Middle East reporters. Particularly horrifying to me is the shuttering of the book review. This is part of a trend. The Associated Press ended book reviews last year and the (awful) New York Times Book Review is now just about the only game in town, at least for newspapers. I believe that most of the knowledge worth having is found in books, and book critics have a vital function in introducing the public to important books, criticizing bad books, and helping literary culture thrive. I would never claim the Washington Post Book World section was singlehandedly sustaining the country’s intellectual lifeblood (although I will deeply miss the often-devastating writing of Becca Rothfeld, one of the few book critics in the country who actually criticizes books). But some part of me feels this country is doomed unless it has book reviews.

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