John P. Loonam
![John P. Loonam](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/loonam.jpg)
John P. Loonam has a Ph.D. in American literature from the City University of New York and taught English in New York City public schools for over 35 years. He has published fiction in various journals and anthologies, and his short plays have been featured by the Mottola Theater Project several times. He is married and the father of two sons; the four have lived in Brooklyn since before it was cool. A collection of his short stories is forthcoming from Cornerstone Press.
41 entries by John P. Loonam
The Heart in Winter: A Novel
By Kevin Barry
![The Heart in Winter: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/theheartinwinter.jpg)
A darkly ebullient tale from the master of comical tragedy.
![Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/orwellsghosts.jpg)
What an astute author from the past might say about our murky present.
Once Upon a Prime
By Sarah Hart
![Once Upon a Prime](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/onceupon.jpg)
A fascinating look at what stories and sums have in common.
The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells: Investigations into a Forgotten Mystery Author
By Rebecca Rego Barry
![The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells: Investigations into a Forgotten Mystery Author](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thevanishingofcarolynwells.jpg)
An animated, unpersuasive case for a writer’s resurrection.
Dixon, Descending: A Novel
By Karen Outen
![Dixon, Descending: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/dixon.jpg)
It’s man vs. Everest in this evocative, implausible tale.
Soul Mates of the Lost Generation
By Lewis M. Dabney
![Soul Mates of the Lost Generation](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(1128).png)
Lovers are thwarted by the conventions of their era.
Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature
By Dan Sinykin
![Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/bigfiction.png)
What does consolidation at the top mean for readers?
Brooklyn Crime Novel
By Jonathan Lethem
![Brooklyn Crime Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/brooklyncrime.png)
Neighborhood kids weather the grittier parts of gentrification.
Ravage & Son: A Novel
By Jerome Charyn
![Ravage & Son: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ravage.jpg)
Early-1900s Manhattan comes alive in this teeming, overstuffed tale.
Close to Home: A Novel
By Michael Magee
![Close to Home: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/closetohome.jpg)
Young adults in a broken West Belfast try to move past the Troubles.
![Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/onceupon.jpg)
A fascinating look at what stories and sums have in common.
All of Us Together in the End
By Matthew Vollmer
![All of Us Together in the End](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(99).png)
A witty, poignant memoir about the importance of family.
In Memoriam: A Novel
By Alice Winn
![In Memoriam: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/inmemoriam.jpg)
Young men grapple with carnage — and forbidden love — in the trenches of WWI.
Chilean Poet
By Alejandro Zambra; translated by Megan McDowell
![Chilean Poet](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/chilean.jpg)
A spirited, witty story of family, love, and the lyrical life.
How to Live. What to Do.
By Josh Cohen
![How to Live. What to Do.](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/howtolive.jpg)
The great books have long been lighting the way.
Soul Mates of the Lost Generation: The Letters of John Dos Passos and Crystal Ross
By Lewis M. Dabney
![Soul Mates of the Lost Generation: The Letters of John Dos Passos and Crystal Ross](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(1128).png)
Lovers are thwarted by the conventions of their era.
The Martins: A Novel
By David Foenkinos; translated by Sam Taylor
![The Martins: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/martins.jpg)
This witty work of autofiction proves you don’t always need a plot.
Before Central Park
By Sara Cedar Miller
![Before Central Park](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(955).png)
Unpacking the origins of Manhattan’s seminal space.
The Artful Dickens
By John Mullan
![The Artful Dickens](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/artful.jpg)
An entertaining, close examination of how the iconic 19th-century author plied his trade.
Sentence: Ten Years and a Thousand Books in Prison
By Daniel Genis
![Sentence: Ten Years and a Thousand Books in Prison](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/sentence.jpg)
What can reading behind bars teach you?
Chilean Poet: A Novel
By Alejandro Zambra; translated by Megan McDowell
![Chilean Poet: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/chilean.jpg)
A spirited, witty story of family, love, and the lyrical life.
![How to Live. What to Do: In Search of Ourselves in Life and Literature](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/howtolive.jpg)
The great books have long been lighting the way.
The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University
By Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy
![The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/illimitable.jpg)
A compelling account of what the Founding Father felt learning should look like.
![Americanon: An Unexpected U.S. History in Thirteen Bestselling Books](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/americanon.jpg)
Can a nation’s character be defined by what’s on its shelves?
![The Artful Dickens: The Tricks and Ploys of the Great Novelist](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/artful.jpg)
An entertaining, close examination of how the iconic 19th-century author plied his trade.
Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood
By Fatima Shaik
![Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/economyhall.jpg)
How an antebellum Creole aid society helped shape New Orleans.
![Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/wonderworks-9781982135973_lg.jpg)
Might the true impact of canonical writing come from its effects on the human brain?
Writing the Virus: New Work from StatORec Magazine
Edited by Andrea Scrima and David Dario Winner
![Writing the Virus: New Work from StatORec Magazine](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(399).png)
Though chronicling a pandemic, this anthology’s overarching message is one of hope.
Ahab’s Rolling Sea
By Richard J. King
![Ahab’s Rolling Sea](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ahabs.jpg)
A fascinating, timely exploration of Melville's (and our) watery world.
Charter School City: What the End of Traditional Public Schools in New Orleans Means for American Education
By Douglas N. Harris
![Charter School City: What the End of Traditional Public Schools in New Orleans Means for American Education](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/charter.jpg)
An in-depth, apolitical look at a new way of doing education.
Ahab’s Rolling Sea: A Natural History of Moby-Dick
By Richard J. King
![Ahab’s Rolling Sea: A Natural History of Moby-Dick](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ahabs.jpg)
A fascinating, timely exploration of Melville's (and our) watery world.