Best Joan Baum Podcasts (2025)

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Book Review: Eminent Jews 4:50

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7d ago4:50

4:50

A composer, a comic, an activist, and a writer. This is not the setup for a joke. These people are at the heart of author David Denby’s new collection of essays - Eminent Jews: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer. WSHU’s Book critic Joan Baum has this review.By Joan Baum

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Book Review: Horace: Poet on a Volcano 4:36

21d ago4:36

4:36

He was a preeminent poet, satirist, and critic from Ancient Rome. His works were once required reading in many schools. But not all of his writings were fit for the classroom. Now, a new biography, Horace: Poet on a Volcano, examines how his work reflected the times he lived in. It also highlights just how bawdy this classic poet could be. WSHU’s C…

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Book Review: Oppenheimer for kids 4:54

1M ago4:54

4:54

The book American Prometheus clocks in at 721 pages. The film version, Oppenheimer, runs for 3 hours. Both tell the fascinating history of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the development of the atomic bomb. Both are also long, layered, and complex. Now, a new book, Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb, streamlines the story for young readers. WSHU’s…

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Book Review: JAWS at 50 5:30

2M ago5:30

5:30

50 years ago this month, the film JAWS debuted in theaters. And for generations, moviegoers have been thrilled to be terrified by the fabled great white shark. But in the novel, the toothy fish is not the star of the story. Book critic Joan Baum re-read JAWS and has this review.By Joan Baum

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Joan Baum Book Review: Insectopolis: A Natural History 4:20

3M ago4:20

4:20

Consider the humble insect. These tiny, multi-legged creatures of infinite variety are all around us. They’re also more vital to life on Earth than we humans realize. Author Peter Kuper explores the world of insects and the scientists who study them in his new illustrated book, Insectopolis. Book critic Joan Baum has this review.…

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Book Review: After The Ocean 4:33

3M ago4:33

4:33

A groom goes missing. A bride goes into hiding. Years later, the past seeps into the present and upends the lives of three women. That’s just the beginning of the new novel, After The Ocean, by WSHU’s classical music host Lauren Rico.By Joan Baum

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Book Review: Permission 4:33

4M ago4:33

4:33

Writing a memoir is not easy. Dredging up traumatic moments from your past can be painful. For some, it’s downright destructive. In her new book, Permission, Connecticut-based writer Elissa Altman shares her insights into the art of writing memoirs and how revealing a hushed-up family incident tore her family apart. WSHU’s Culture Critic Joan Baum …

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Book Review: Enough is Enuph, Eenuff, Enuf 4:34

4M ago4:34

4:34

Spelling words in English can be confusing. Many have been baffled by it. And many have tried to simplify the process. In his new book, author Gabe Henry shares a brief 500 year history of those attempts to make spelling easier. Book critic Joan Baum has this review.By Joan Baum

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Book Review: From Ted To Tom - The illustrated envelopes of Edward Gorey 4:44

5M ago4:44

4:44

Edward Gorey was famous for his signature black and white illustrations that are often steeped in humor with a sinister twist. Gorey also drew his whimsical images on envelopes for letters he sent to a close friend. And that friend has just published a collection of their correspondence in a new book. WSHU’s Book Critic Joan Baum read it and has th…

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Book Review: Rhino's Run 4:36

5M ago4:36

4:36

Football captain, Rhino Rhinehart is in trouble. He punched a fellow student. Now Rhino is in his high school’s counseling group so he can stay on the football team. He’s surprised to find The Group a source of support. But his connection with them also lands him in the middle of a tragic school incident. How will Rhino find his way through it? Wel…

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Book Review: How Sondheim Can Change Your Life 4:51

6M ago4:51

4:51

Can the work of composer Stephen Sondheim change your life? Theater critic Richard Schoch believes it can. In his new book, How Sondheim Can Change Your Life Schoch dives deep into Sondheim’s music, lyrics, and characters where he says life lessons are woven into the plays. WSHU’s Culture Critic Joan Baum read it. You can listen to her review right…

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Book Review: A Splendid Death 4:54

6M ago4:54

4:54

A Splendid Death, the latest thriller, by Connecticut-based author Mark Rubinstein, tells the story of two brothers from New Jersey who become entangled with government-backed mercenaries in Franco’s Spain. WSHU’s Culture Critic, Joan Baum says the novel is a nail-biter. Here’s her review.By Joan Baum

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Book Review: The Authors Guide to Murder 5:04

7M ago5:04

5:04

A rustic castle on a remote Scottish island. It’s an ideal setting for a literary conference until it all goes horribly wrong. The dramatic death of the conference organizer compels three romance writers to team up and solve a Who-Done-It. WSHU’s Culture Critic Joan Baum read The Authors Guide to Murder.…

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Book Review: The Philosophy of Translation 4:45

7M ago4:45

4:45

Reading books in translation can be a tricky venture. Does the work reflect the author’s original vision or the perspective of the translator? What’s a reader to do? Well, there’s a new book out that explores the delicate nuance of translation. WSHU’s Book critic Joan Baum has this review.By Joan Baum

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Book Review: Buried Treasures: The Power of Political Fairy Tales 4:46

8M ago4:46

4:46

Fairy Tales! Those fanciful yarns we learned as children were fun bedtime stories. But, author and scholar Jack Zipes believes they can be so much more. In his latest work, Buried Treasures: The Power of Political Fairy Tales, Zipes shares lost stories, that he says, could transform minds and nations for the better. Book critic Joan Baum has this r…

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Book Review: Something Better 5:06

8M ago5:06

5:06

A bereaved college student, a landscaper, and a lawyer form an unexpected love triangle in the debut novel by Connecticut-based writer Diane Parrish, Something Better. WSHU’s Culture Critic Joan Baum says don’t underestimate this debut work that dives deep into love, redemption, and forgiveness.By Joan Baum

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Book Review: Amazing Grapes 3:57

9M ago3:57

3:57

Buckle up! Award-winning cartoonist and author, Jules Feiffer takes readers on a wild ride in his latest work- Amazing Grapes. A brother and sister team up to find their mother. But they must journey through a strange dimension filled with extraordinary friends and foes. WSHU's Joan Baum has this review.…

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BOOK REVIEW: The Changing of Keys 4:34

9M ago4:34

4:34

In Carolyn Jack’s latest novel, a child prodigy navigates the ruthless worlds of classical music, opera, and his mother’s ambition. Can he survive the pressure? Book critic Joan Baum read the book. Here’s her review.By Joan Baum

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Joan Baum Book Review: The God of the Woods 5:13

10M ago5:13

5:13

In the suspense novel, The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore, a teen disappears from a summer camp in the Adirondacks. But she’s not the first to go missing. Now a police detective is determined to solve the mystery but she’ll have to unravel generations of local secrets to do it. Book critic Joan Baum has this review.…

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Book Review: No Safe Place 4:42

10M ago4:42

4:42

It looks like an idyllic historic Connecticut college town with students, professors, and coffee houses. But lurking under the surface is a sinister hedge fund billionaire pulling the strings. And when a co-ed turns up dead, that facade begins to crack. That’s the plot of author Michael Ledwidge’s latest thriller, No Safe Place. Book critic Joan Ba…