Blanche Wiesen Cook was born on April 20, 1941, in New York, New York, the daughter of David Theodore and Sadonia (Ecker) Wiesen. Cook graduated from Hunter College with a B.A. in 1962; she then received an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University in 1964 and a Ph.D. in history from the same university in 1970.

Cook decided to make her career as a teacher and historian. She was an instructor of history at Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, New York, from 1964 to 1967. Since 1968, Cook has been a professor of history at John Jay College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She also teaches women's studies.

Cook enjoys a distinguished career as a historian. She has contributed many articles on history to scholarly journals, and she was the senior editor for the 360-volume Garland Library on War and Peace (1970-1980) and the Jewish Women's Encyclopedia...