Loeb was born in 1952 in California. He graduated from Stanford University and subsequently attended New York's New School for Social Research and worked actively during his early life to end the Vietnam War. He also began what has become a prolific writing and speaking career during this time.

Loeb's writings have appeared in numerous newspapers and journals, including the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Psychology Today, Christian Science Monitor, Chronicle of Higher Education, The Nation, Utne Reader, Sojourners Magazine, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Detroit News, St Louis Post-Dispatch, National Catholic Reporter, and the International Herald Tribune. His first book, Nuclear Culture, examined daily life of atomic weapons workers at the Hanford site in Tri-Cities, Washington. Hope In Hard Times portrayed ordinary Americans involved in grass roots peace activism. He has also written books examining student activism at universities and his book Soul of a Citizen offered hope for citizen activists. His last book, The Impossible Will Take a Little While, an anthology of the achievements of activists in history who faced enormous obstacles, was named the #3 political book of 2004 by the History Channel and the American Book Association and won the Nautilus Award for best social change book of the year.

Loeb's work offers an in-depth and often alternative look at current social issues, from poverty and taxation and budget priorities to criminal justice and citizen activism. His writing has received much attention and been cited in Congressional debates. He has been interviewed hundreds of times for radio, TV and print media, including nationwide appearances on TV networks like Fox, NBC, and CNN and foreign radio stations. He's also lectured at more than 300 college campuses and at numerous national conferences. In January 2002, his talk at the annual provost's conference of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities inspired the American Democracy Project, which now exists on 200 college campuses.

Loeb serves as an Affiliate Scholar at Seattle's Center for Ethical Leadership and lives in Seattle, Washington.

Books

• Nuclear Culture (New Society Publishers, 1986)
• Hope in Hard Times: America's Peace Movement and the Reagan Era (Lexington Books, 1986)
• Generation at the Crossroads: Apathy and Action on the American Campus (Rutgers University Press, 1994)
• Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time (St. Martins Press, 1999)
• The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear (Basic Books, 2004)