Jennifer Weiner
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Jennifer Weiner (born March 28, 1970) is an American writer, television producer, and journalist. She is based in
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, Pennsylvania. Her
debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...
, published in 2001, was '' Good in Bed''. Her novel '' In Her Shoes'' (2002) was made into a
movie A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
starring
Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. Prolific in both comedy and drama, Cameron Diaz filmography, her films have grossed over $3 billion in the U.S. box-office. Her output of romantic comedies in the late 1990s a ...
,
Toni Collette Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television, blockbusters and independent films, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, wit ...
, and
Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...
.


Background and education

Weiner was born to a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family in
DeRidder, Louisiana DeRidder is a city in, and the parish seat of, Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States. A small portion of the city extends into Vernon Parish, Louisiana, Vernon Parish. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 c ...
, where her father was stationed as an army physician. The next year, her family (including a younger sister and two brothers) moved to Simsbury, Connecticut, where Weiner spent her childhood. When Weiner was 16, her father abandoned the family. He died of a
crack cocaine Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be Smoking, smoked. Crack offers a short, intense Euphoria (emotion), high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Sub ...
overdose in 2008. Her first novel, '' Good in Bed'', is loosely based on her young-adult life: like the main character, Cannie Shapiro, Weiner's parents divorced when she was 16, and her mother came out as a lesbian at age 55. Weiner has said that she was "one of only nine Jewish kids in her high school class of 400" at Simsbury High School. She entered
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
at the age of 17 and graduated summa cum laude with an A.B. in English in 1991 after completing an 86-page-long senior thesis titled "'Never Far From Mother --' On the Uses of
Essentialism Essentialism is the view that objects have a set of attributes that are necessary to their Identity (philosophy), identity. In early Western thought, Platonic idealism held that all things have such an "essence"—an Theory of forms, "idea" or "f ...
in Novels and Films." At Princeton, Weiner studied with J. D. McClatchy, Ann Lauterbach,
John McPhee John Angus McPhee (born March 8, 1931) is an American author. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourt ...
,
Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically accl ...
, and
Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels ''Black ...
. Her first published story, "Tour of Duty," appeared in '' Seventeen'' in 1992.


Career

After graduating from college, Weiner joined the '' Centre Daily Times'', the daily newspaper of
State College, Pennsylvania State College is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough and Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park ...
, where she managed the education beat and wrote a regular column called "Generation XIII" (referring to the 13th generation following the American Revolution), aka "
Generation X Generation X (often shortened to Gen X) is the Demography, demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the Baby Boomers and preceding Millennials. Researchers and popular media often use the mid-1960s as its starting birth years and the ...
." From there, she moved on to Kentucky's ''
Lexington Herald-Leader The ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' is a newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and based in Lexington, Kentucky. According to the ''1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook'', the paid circulation of the ''Herald-Leader'' is the second larg ...
'', still penning her "Generation XIII" column, before finding a job with ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...
'' as a features reporter. She continued to write for the ''Inquirer'', freelancing on the side for '' Mademoiselle'', '' Seventeen'', and other publications, until after her first novel, '' Good in Bed'', was published in 2001. In 2005, her second novel, '' In Her Shoes'' (2002), was made into a feature film starring
Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. Prolific in both comedy and drama, Cameron Diaz filmography, her films have grossed over $3 billion in the U.S. box-office. Her output of romantic comedies in the late 1990s a ...
,
Toni Collette Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television, blockbusters and independent films, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, wit ...
and
Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...
by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
. Her sixth novel, ''Best Friends Forever'', was a No. 1 ''New York Times'' bestseller and made
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
's list of the longest-running bestsellers of the year. To date, she is the author of nine bestselling books, including eight novels and a collection of short stories, with a reported 11 million copies in print in 36 countries. Her novel ''The Next Best Thing'' was published by
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
in July 2012. Her writing on gender and culture appears frequently in
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
. In addition to writing fiction, Weiner is a co-creator and executive producer of the (now-cancelled)
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
sitcom ''
State of Georgia Georgia is a state in the Southeastern United States. It borders Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, South Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Florida to the south, and Alabama to the west. Of the 50 U.S. states, Georgia i ...
'', and she is known for " live-tweeting" episodes of the reality dating shows '' The Bachelor'' and '' The Bachelorette''. In 2011, ''
TIME Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' named her to its list of the Top 140 Twitter Feeds "shaping the conversation." She is a self-described feminist.A feminist fights back against 'chick lit' label
''San Francisco Chronicle''


Criticism of gender bias in the media

Weiner has been a vocal critic of what she sees as the male bias in the publishing industry and the media, alleging that books by male authors are better received than those written by women, that is, reviewed more often and more highly praised by critics. In 2010, she told ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'', "I think it's a very old and deep-seated double standard that holds that when a man writes about family and feelings, it's literature with a capital L, but when a woman considers the same topics, it's romance, or a beach book – in short, it's something unworthy of a serious critic's attention. ... I think it's irrefutable that when it comes to picking favorites – those lucky few writers who get the double reviews AND the fawning magazine profile AND the back-page essay space AND the op-ed ... the Times tends to pick white guys." In a 2011 interview with ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' blog ''Speakeasy'', she said, "There are gatekeepers who say chick lit doesn’t deserve attention but then they review Stephen King." When Jonathan Franzen's novel ''
Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...
'' was published in 2010 to critical acclaim and extensive media coverage (including a cover story in ''
TIME Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
''), Weiner criticized what she saw as the ensuing "overcoverage," igniting a debate over whether the media's adulation of Franzen was an example of entrenched sexism within the literary establishment. Though Weiner received some backlash from other female writers for her criticisms, a 2011 study by the organization VIDA bore out many of her claims, and Franzen himself, in an interview with ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', agreed with her: "To a considerable extent, I agree. When a male writer simply writes adequately about family, his book gets reviewed seriously, because: 'Wow, a man has actually taken some interest in the emotional texture of daily life', whereas with a woman it’s liable to be labelled chick-lit. There is a long-standing gender imbalance in what goes into the canon, however you want to define the canon." As for the label " chick lit", Weiner has expressed ambivalence towards it, embracing the genre it stands for while criticizing its use as a pejorative term for commercial women's fiction. "I’m not crazy about the label," she has said, "because I think it comes with a built-in assumption that you’ve written nothing more meaningful or substantial than a mouthful of cotton candy. As a result, critics react a certain way without ever reading the books." In 2008, Weiner published a critique on her blog of a review by Curtis Sittenfeld of a Melissa Bank novel. Weiner deconstructs Sittenfeld's review, writing, "The more I think about the review, the more I think about the increasingly angry divide between ladies who write literature and chicks who write chick lit, the more it seems like a grown-up version of the smart versus pretty games of years ago; like so much jockeying for position in the cafeteria and mocking the girls who are nerdier/sluttier/stupider than you to make yourself feel more secure about your own place in the pecking order." In November 2019, Weiner participated in the harassment and abuse of Brooke Nelson, a college student who was mentioned in her local newspaper as saying she thought that author Sarah Dessen's YA novels were not suitable for the Common Read program run by
Northern State University Northern State University (NSU) is a public university in Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 45 bachelor's degrees, 53 minors, six associate degrees, 16 pre-professional prog ...
, Aberdeen, and that she had advocated for the inclusion of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson's memoir, ''Just Mercy'', instead. In a series of since-deleted tweets, Weiner described Nelson's opposition to Dessen's inclusion in the Common Reads program as "catty and cruel", part of "systemic discrimination" against young women, and linked it to coverage of gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's repeated sexual assaults on young women. She later stated that she had "zero regrets" regarding these remarks. When the story was reported in Jezebel, The Guardian, the Washington Post, and Slate, Weiner reportedly regretted her actions.


Film adaptations and television appearances


''In Her Shoes''

In Her Shoes (2002) was made into a major motion picture in 2005 with
Cameron Diaz Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. Prolific in both comedy and drama, Cameron Diaz filmography, her films have grossed over $3 billion in the U.S. box-office. Her output of romantic comedies in the late 1990s a ...
,
Toni Collette Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television, blockbusters and independent films, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, wit ...
and
Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine, numerous accolades, including a ...
. She also made a cameo appearance in this film.


''State of Georgia''

After signing a development deal with
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
in 2008, Weiner wrote a pilot for a half-hour sitcom with producer Jeff Greenstein (''
Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Marc Cherry, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a tota ...
''), originally called ''The Great State of Georgia'' and starring a plus-sized young woman who aspires to be a Broadway star. In 2010, the network ordered the show to series (renamed ''
State of Georgia Georgia is a state in the Southeastern United States. It borders Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, South Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Florida to the south, and Alabama to the west. Of the 50 U.S. states, Georgia i ...
''), and it went on to air 12 episodes in the summer of 2011. On September 16, Weiner announced the show's cancellation via Twitter.


Television appearances

Weiner made her TV debut on '' The Tony Danza Show'' in 2005, reappearing in 2006. She made a cameo appearance as herself in the '' Younger'' episode "The Jade Crusade" in 2016.


Personal life

Weiner married attorney Adam Bonin in October 2001. They have two children and separated in 2010. On March 19, 2016, she married writer Bill Syken.


Bibliography


Novels

* '' Good in Bed'' (2001) – Chronicles the experiences of Candace Shapiro, a Jewish journalist from Philadelphia. The plot of the story revolves around the distress that comes from leading an unstable love life while trying to balance a professional career. Candace learns the positive benefits of being independent during tough times in her life. Weiner often acknowledges the influence that her personal history played in her first official novel. * '' In Her Shoes'' (2002) – Published in September 2002, ''In Her Shoes'' tells the story of two sisters who have nothing in common, except their shoe size, and a grandmother neither of them ever knew. ''USA Today'' says the book “will make you laugh and possibly cry.” In October 2005, the novel was turned into a major motion picture, starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley Maclaine. * ''Little Earthquakes'' (2004) – This book contains the story of a newscaster, Ayinde, who moves to Philadelphia following her husband who is an NBA player for the 76ers. She becomes friends with Becky and Kelly and together they created an unbreakable sisterhood bond. * ''Goodnight Nobody'' (2005) – This story follows the story of Kate Klein who relocates her family and herself to Upchurch, Connecticut. She lives the suburban mom lifestyle and later spends her time starting an investigation, along with two of her friends, about the death of Kitty Cavanaugh. * ''The Guy Not Taken'' (2006) – This is a collection of eleven separate stories from Weiner. The stories cover many subject areas, from a teenage girl coping with the loss of her father, to a widow opening up her home to a pair of homeless girls. * ''Certain Girls'' (2008) – ''Certain Girls'' is the sequel to ''Good In Bed''. Released in April 2008, it begins where Cannie, the heroine of ''Good In Bed'' left off with her debut novel becoming an overnight bestseller. * ''Best Friends Forever'' (2009) - Two childhood friends named Valerie Adler and Adelaide "Addie" Downs are reunited when Valerie believes she accidentally ran over the star football player at their high school reunion. * ''Fly Away Home'' (2010) * ''Then Came You'' (2011) * ''The Next Best Thing'' (2012) * ''All Fall Down'' (2014) * ''Who Do You Love'' (2015) – This story is about two young children who meet in a hospital and are forced to part ways. Thinking that they will never see each other again, they move on with their lives, only to later end up in the presence of each other, where they must decide if their love can keep them together. * ''Mrs. Everything'' (2019) * ''Big Summer'' (2020) *''That Summer'' (2021) *''The Summer Place'' (2022) *''The Breakaway'' (2023)


Short stories

* ''Disconnected'' (2013) * ''Recalculating'' (2011) * ''Swim'' (2012) * ''The Half Life'' (2010) * ''A Memoir of Grief'' (2012) * ''Good Men'' (2013)


Nonfiction

*''Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing'' (2016)


Essays

*“Victoria’s Secret Finally Set Its Angels Free. Better Late Than Never.” (''New York Times'', June 17, 2021)


References


Further reading

* Black, Robin
"President Obama: Why Don't You Read More Women?"
Salon.com, August 24, 2011. * Ganahl, Jane.
A feminist fights back against 'chick lit' label
" ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'', October 30, 2005. * Gervin, Cari Wade
"In Defense of Chick Lit: Jennifer Weiner, 'Women's Fiction,' and Franzenfreude a Year Later."
Metro Pulse, September 7, 2011. * Jacobs, Julie.
Jennifer Weiner: Chic lit
." Hillel.org, July 6, 2007. * Mead, Rebecca
"Written Off"
''The New Yorker'', January 13, 2014. A full Profile. * Perry, Beth.

" ''People'', September 26, 2005. * Olya, Gabrielle.
Jennifer Weiner Is Posing in her Swimsuit to Promote Body Confidence
" ''People'', July 6, 2016.


External links


Official website

Author page on Simon & Schuster website

Goodreads.com Author page

2010 radio interview
at The Bat Segundo Show
''State of Georgia'' official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiner, Jennifer 1970 births 21st-century American novelists American feminist writers American women novelists American chick lit writers Jewish women writers Living people The Philadelphia Inquirer people Writers from Philadelphia Princeton University alumni Jewish American novelists 21st-century American women writers People from DeRidder, Louisiana Novelists from Pennsylvania 21st-century American Jews