Joan Baum
Book ReviewerJoan Baum is a recovering academic from the City University of New York, who spent 25 years teaching literature and writing. Joan has a long career as a critic and reviewer, writing for, among others, WNYC, Newsday, The Christian Science Monitor, MIT's Technology Review, Hadassah Magazine and writing on subjects in her dissertation field, the major English Romantic poets. She covers all areas of cultural history but particularly enjoys books at the nexus of the humanities and the sciences.
With an eye on reviewing fiction and nonfiction that has regional resonance for Connecticut or Long Island – books written by local authors or books set in the area – Joan considers the timeliness and significance of recently published work: what these books have to say to a broad group of readers today and how they say it in a distinctive or unique manner, taking into account style and structure as well as subject matter.
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In his latest work journalist and author, Andrew Nagorski investigates the intricate plan to get the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud out of Nazi-occupied Vienna and safely to London. Book critic Joan Baum has this review. -
He’s famous for the lyrics he wrote for iconic Broadway plays. But what is known about the man himself? A new biography offers a modern perspective on the life of Oscar Hammerstein and his work. Book critic Joan Baum has this review. -
Next Wednesday author Jennifer Egan will speak about her latest novel, "The Candy House" at the Greenwich Library in Connecticut. To whet your appetite, book critic Joan Baum has this review. -
She was once described by a Boston reporter as a “millionaire Bohemianne” who “leads where no one dares to follow.” A new novel based on the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner explores how she became an iconic maverick in the world of art. Book critic Joan Baum has this review. -
A new true crime book takes a closer look at a scandalous murder of the 1920s. The investigation and trial sparked a battle between two New York City tabloids to offer readers the most salacious details. Book critic Joan Baum has this review. -
The #Me Too movement is at the center of a new legal thriller set in New York City. Book critic Joan Baum has this review. -
One hundred years ago this December, "The Waste Land" was first published. T.S. Eliot’s famous poem has been described as highly influential, irregular, and innovative. Its theme… the spiritual and cultural decay of…well just about everything. -
One Hundred Saturdays, a collection of edited interviews the author Michael Frank did with Stella Levi, is in part a history lesson that goes back thousands of years, as well as a dark narrative of the mid-20th century. -
So you think you know Cleopatra? A new biography of the ancient Egyptian leader challenges many of the myths that have defined her over the centuries. Book critic Joan Baum has this review. -
Writer Howard Owen puts his years as a reporter and editor to good use in his next mystery novel, Dogtown. It won’t be available until the first week of December, but book critic Joan Baum got a peek at his latest work and has this review.
