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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://www.joanneleedom-ackerman.com/

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Short Stories, Nonfiction

Member Since

June 2010

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman is a novelist, short story writer, and journalist. Her works of fiction include The Dark Path to the River and No Marble Angels. Her nonfiction book PEN Journeys: Memoir of Literature on the Line was recently published, and she is the senior editor and contributor to The Journey of Liu Xiaobo: From Dark Horse to Nobel Laureate. She has also published fiction and essays in books and anthologies, including Short Stories of the Civil Rights Movement; Remembering Arthur Miller; Electric Grace; Snakes: An Anthology of Serpent Tales; Beyond Literacy; Women For All Seasons; Fiction and Poetry by Texas Women; The Bicentennial Collection of Texas Short Stories; What You Can Do.

As a reporter for The Christian Science Monitor ea ...more

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman’s books

Average rating: 4.13 · 202 ratings · 76 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Far Side of the Desert really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 99 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Burning Distance 4.27 avg rating — 85 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dark Path to the River really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 1988 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Journey of Liu Xiaobo: From Dark Horse to Nobel Laureate by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Yu Zhang (Editor), Jie Li (Editor) 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	PEN Journeys: Memoir of Literature on the Line 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Marble Angels: Short Fiction 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1985 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Women for All Seasons: Poetry and Prose About the Transitions in Women's Lives it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman's Blog

Tunnel of Hope…Past and Present

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Wars end, eventually.

In the middle of war, the end is hard to imagine, and the aftermath unpredictable—devastation restored, justice reconciled, the younger generation taking over…or not? At the moment focus and hope is on a possible peace in the Middle East between Israel and Palestinians. In Syria citizens are also in a suspended state of optimistic but cautious hope and s

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman is currently reading

East West Street: On the Origins of "Genocide" and "Crimes Against Humanity"

by Philippe Sands

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Jan 27, 2022 10:27AM

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Dream of the Red Chamber

by Cao Xueqin

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Jan 27, 2022 10:21AM

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Joanne Leedom-Ackerman wrote a new blog post Tunnel of Hope…Past and Present Listen to this blog Wars end, eventually.In the middle of war, the end is hard to imagine, and the aftermath unpredictable—devastation restored, justi Read more of this blog post »
Nov 14, 2025 12:16AM · like
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman rated a book it was amazing A Woman of Firsts: Margaret Heckler, Political Trailblazer by Kimberly Heckler	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Written by her daughter-in-law with significant input from Heckler’s own daughter and son, A Woman of Firsts: Margaret Heckler, Political Trailblazer may be the first, but surely not the last, narrative about the Honorable Margaret O’Shaughnessy Heck ...more
Sep 19, 2025 08:16PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Woman of Firsts by Kimberly Heckler. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Woman of Firsts by Kimberly Heckler <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman rated a book it was amazing Middlemarch by George Eliot	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life bows under its quotidian title, a massive volume of Victorian sentences unfolding the complexities of human hearts, marital struggles, community and political tensions, laced with corruption and also generosity ...more
Sep 19, 2025 08:08PM · like · see review
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman rated a book it was amazing The Country Girls (The Country Girls Trilogy, #1) by Edna O'Brien	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Country Girl was listed as one of 20 Best novels ever in a recent list. I wouldn't have included it on the same list as War and Peace, Ulysses, Moby Dick, Middlemarch, or Invisible Man, but its charm and dialogue and the circumstances of two Iris ...more
Aug 21, 2025 01:29PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman rated a book it was amazing The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Red House Mystery was published in 1922 before Agatha Christie’s first book. The great detective stories and writers were only beginning to emerge between the two World Wars. At the time Alan Alexander Milne was known as a humorist, writing for ...more
Aug 21, 2025 01:23PM · like · see review
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman rated a book it was amazing The Helsinki Affair (Amanda Cole) by Anna Pitoniak (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak balances two stories of espionage in two time periods with two betrayals resonating across the decades as secrets are slowly uncovered. Amanda Cole, CIA officer and daughter of Charlie Cole, also CIA, demonstrates ...more
Jun 25, 2025 11:44AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman rated a book it was amazing The Vory: Russia's Super Mafia by Mark Galeotti	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Russia's Super Mafia by Mark Galeotti takes the reader on the journey of the Russian Mafia from the gulags and prison labor camps in Siberia to the streets of Moscow and New York. The Vory-meaning "thieves"-documents the rise of Russia's criminal netw ...more
Jun 25, 2025 11:43AM · like · see review
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman rated a book it was amazing The Human Scale by Lawrence Wright (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Lawrence Wright’s new and brilliant novel, The Human Scale which takes the reader into the heart of the Israeli and Palestinian struggle and the ultimate October 7 massacre through complex and heart-felt characters.
May 31, 2025 04:27AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Human Scale by Lawrence Wright. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Human Scale by Lawrence Wright <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman rated a book it was amazing Lovers of Franz K. by Burhan Sönmez	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Lovers of Franz K by Burhan Sönmez is a mystery about who really instigated the attack on Max Brod, what forces are at play behind the scenes. Only 130 pages in a small format, Lovers of Franz K delivers a big impact and a surprising and satisfying e ...more
May 31, 2025 04:24AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lovers of Franz K. by Burhan Sönmez. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lovers of Franz K. by Burhan Sönmez <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman rated a book it was amazing Exit Wounds: A Story of Love, Loss and Occasional Wars by Peter Godwin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Exit Wounds by Peter Godwin tells a dramatic and heart-felt story of a boy and man’s journey through life, bookended by women—his mother and his wife—and explores themes of belonging, war, marriage, parenting, career, all wrapped around the age-old q ...more
May 31, 2025 04:23AM · 1 like · like · see review