About Me
Joanne Greenberg is an American author born September 24, 1932, in Brooklyn, New York. She was a professor of anthropology at the Colorado School of Mines, an elementary school teacher, and a volunteer with the Lookout Mountain Fire Rescue.
Idaho Springs Literary Festival
Joanne Greenberg just celebrated her 92nd birthday on Sept. 24th. She said it was one of the best birthdays she’s ever had. One of her acts of celebration was going for a motorcycle ride with her Rabbi. Imagine cruising down one of those twelve-percent-grade Colorado switchbacks on a motorcycle at 92 years old. Another celebration
My Quiet Fight For Home Book Released.
When Albert Greenberg started out as Colorado’s first rehabilitation counselor for the Deaf, he had as two of his early clients, Johnnie Calderone and Saundra Scott. They forged a relationship beyond the department, and Johnnie worked with Albert as he struggled to learn American Sign Language. Albert, in turn, brought what he was learning home
Rose Garden in Master’s Thesis in Turkey
Gülfem Aşlakcı is currently working on her master’s thesis in the field of Comparative Literature. The topic of her thesis is as follows: This study compares the influences of characters in Peyami Safa’s novel “Dokuzuncu Hariciye Koğuşu” and Joanne Greenberg’s “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” through a psychoanalytic lens, grounded in the authors’
A Book That Still Changes Lives
Anna-Sara sent in this moving review of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, a book that still changes lives sixty-odd years after its initial publication. Over the years, we have heard similar comments from the many readers whose journeys were aided by this classic mental health novel. “Hello, I read your book. I never
RIP Kinky Friedman
It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of the musician-comedian Kinky Friedman. I appreciate his riotous take on anti-Semitism. According to The Forward, he died June 26th at the age of 79. Another song, “They Ain’t Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore,” recounts how a barroom antisemite is trounced by a Jewish cowboy.
I Live Here: learning to heal through embracing your own story
During her time in Fire-Rescue, Joanne and her team saved a young child. One of the stories in On the Run chronicles the girl’s gut-wrenching, disturbing, yet inspiring story in detail. The little girl’s name is Lori Poland. Foothills Fire-Rescue recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, and both Joanne and Lori attended. Of course, Lori is
On the Run by Joanne Greenberg—My Review
If every story feels like a lie, you have a great book. I love all of Joanne Greenberg’s fiction, but I wasn’t sure how she’d do with a memoir. I thought On the Run would be one of those boring memoirs about a woman trying to work in a “man’s world.” It turned out to
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
I compare I Never Promised You a Rose Garden to Ken Keysey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I first read them both as a troubled teen in juvenile hall back in the early ’70s. In both books, I saw myself, and both helped me realize that I was on the wrong path. So, I
Joanne’s Characters are Human
Joanne Greenberg is most well-known for her book “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,” but she has written many more books, though not as well known, are excellent reads! When I read, I like to feel for the characters, get inside their heads; be eager to know what they will do/think next. Joanne’s characters
A Lifetime of Writing
Joanne Greenberg published her first book, The King’s Persons, in 1963. It won the Harry and Ethel Daroff Memorial Fiction Award and the Jewish Book Council of America award. Since then, she has produced a lifetime of writing. Most known for the psychological novel I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, She went on to finish fifteen novels, four short story