Jennifer Szalai is the nonfiction book critic at The New York Times . [1] Szalai was born in Canada and attended the University of Toronto, where she studied political science and peace and conflict. She holds a master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics. [2]
During the 2000s, she was a senior editor for reviews at Harper's Magazine . [3] Her reviews have also appeared in the London Review of Books [4] and The New Yorker . [5]
She started working as the nonfiction critic for the Times in January 2018, [6] after having worked for four years as an editor for The New York Times Book Review . [7]
Frank Rich referred to Szalai's review of Bob Woodward's book Rage , about the presidency of Donald Trump, as a "Didion-worthy dissection". [8] In February 2023, Szalai wrote a similar review of The Courage to Be Free by Ron DeSantis. [9]