Ayelet Waldman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ayelet Waldman
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Waldman in 2009
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| Born | December 11, 1964 Jerusalem |
| Occupation | Novelist, essayist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Israeli-American |
| Education | Wesleyan University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Notable works | Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, Bad Mother: A Chronicle... |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
Ayelet Waldman (born December 11, 1964) is an Israeli-American writer. She writes novels and essays. She is known for her mystery series called The Mommy-Track Mysteries and other novels. She also writes personal essays, often about being a mother. Before becoming a full-time writer, Waldman worked as a lawyer, defending people in court. Her experiences as a lawyer often inspire her stories.
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About Ayelet Waldman's Life
Ayelet Waldman was born in Jerusalem. Her family moved a few times when she was young. They lived in Montreal, Canada, and Rhode Island before settling in Ridgewood, New Jersey, when she was in sixth grade.
She grew up in a Jewish family. She went to Hebrew school and Jewish summer camps. When she was 15, she lived on a kibbutz (a special community farm) in Israel for a year. She studied psychology and government at Wesleyan University. Later, she went to Harvard Law School and became a lawyer in 1991.
Since 1993, Waldman has been married to another famous author, Michael Chabon. They live in Berkeley, California, and work from the same office at their home. They often help each other with their writing, giving advice and discussing story ideas.
Many of the characters in her books are Jewish. Her novel Love and Treasure is about the Holocaust, a very sad time in history. Waldman has also openly shared that she has bipolar disorder, a mental health condition. She talks about how she manages it while raising her children.
Her Career as a Lawyer and Teacher
After law school, Ayelet Waldman worked for a judge and then for a big law firm. Later, she became a federal public defender in California. This means she was a lawyer who helped people who couldn't afford their own legal help. She did this for three years.
When her first child was born, she tried to balance her legal work with being a mom. But she soon decided to leave her job to spend more time with her family. She found that writing was a more flexible career.
From 1997 to 2003, Waldman also taught as a professor at the University of California, Berkeley's law school. She realized that writing academic articles wasn't very interesting to her. That's when she started writing fiction instead. She has said she wouldn't go back to being a lawyer, but her legal experiences often appear in her stories.
Her Writing Career
Ayelet Waldman started writing articles online and in print about being a mother. She found writing to be a good way to use her time while her children were napping. She also enjoyed it because it was entertaining and allowed her to express herself.
The "Mommy-Track Mysteries" Series
In 1997, Waldman began writing mystery novels. She thought they would be "easy" and "light." At first, she wrote secretly, but her husband encouraged her. She chose mysteries because they focus a lot on the plot, or what happens in the story.
She wrote seven novels in a series called The Mommy-Track Mysteries. These books are about a character named Juliet Applebaum. Juliet is a part-time detective and a full-time mom. Like Waldman, Juliet is a former public defender who became a stay-at-home mother but found it a bit boring. To make things more exciting, Juliet becomes a detective. The books are funny, and Waldman has said that her "villains aren't villains" but people whose reasons for their actions you can understand.
Other Novels by Waldman
Besides her mystery series, Waldman has written several other novels:
- Daughter's Keeper (2003): This book was inspired by a real legal case Waldman handled as a lawyer. It was well-received and was a finalist for an award.
- Love and Other Impossible Pursuits (2006): This story is about a lawyer who loses a newborn child. It also explores how mothers sometimes judge each other's parenting. The book was made into a movie starring Natalie Portman.
- Red Hook Road (2010): This novel is about two families in a small village in Maine. It explores how a family tragedy and differences in social class affect marriages and family life.
- Love and Treasure (2014): This book is about the Holocaust.
Short Stories and Nonfiction Essays
Waldman has also written short stories for collections like McSweeney's Stories of Love and Neuroses. One of her short stories, "Minnow," is about a woman haunted by her baby who passed away. This story is being developed into a horror film.
She has written many personal essays about different parts of motherhood. These essays discuss how women sometimes criticize each other's parenting, how to balance work and family, and other topics like homework, family life, and body image. She has also written about the justice system.
In 2016, Waldman and her husband, Michael Chabon, worked with an organization called "Breaking the Silence" to create a book. This book, called "Kingdom of Olives and Ash: Writers Confront the Occupation," includes articles by many writers from around the world about the Israeli occupation.
=Motherlove Essay
In 2005, Waldman wrote an essay called "Motherlove." It was first published in a small book, but then it was reprinted in The New York Times. This essay caused a lot of discussion and debate, even on TV shows like The View. Some people disagreed strongly with her views. Oprah Winfrey invited Waldman onto her show to talk about her ideas on love, marriage, and motherhood. Oprah said Waldman was "very brave" for speaking out.
=Bad Mother Book
After the big reaction to her essay, a friend suggested Waldman write a whole book about it. In 2009, she published Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace. In this book, she argues that no woman can be a perfect mother. She believes that trying to be perfect can actually be bad for children. Waldman says that society, especially other women, can be too hard on mothers. The book became a New York Times bestseller and received good reviews.
Online Writing
For a short time in 2004 and 2005, Waldman wrote a blog called "Bad Mother." She wrote about topics like gay rights, motherhood, and her bipolar disorder. She also had a blog on her own website from 2008 to 2009.
Television Work
Ayelet Waldman has also worked in television. From 2015 to 2019, she helped develop the Netflix show Unbelievable with her husband, Michael Chabon, and writer Susannah Grant.
She also co-wrote an episode of Star Trek: Picard with Chabon. She was also a co-executive producer for five episodes of the show.
Activism
During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Waldman actively supported Barack Obama. She volunteered full-time, spoke at fundraising events, and was chosen as a delegate for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
In April 2024, Waldman participated in an effort to bring food to Palestinians in Gaza. She was with a group of American rabbis who wanted to show that Judaism teaches justice, kindness, peace, and liberation.
Published works
"Mommy-Track" mystery novels
- Nursery Crimes (2000)
- The Big Nap (2001)
- Playdate With Death (2002)
- Death Gets a Time-Out (2003)
- Murder Plays House (2004)
- The Cradle Robbers (2005)
- Bye-Bye, Black Sheep (2006)
Other novels
- Daughter's Keeper (2003)
- Love and Other Impossible Pursuits (2006)
- Red Hook Road (2010)
- Love and Treasure (2014)
Nonfiction
- Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace (2009)
- A Really Good Day (2017)
See also
In Spanish: Ayelet Waldman para niños
