Sheila weller bio

PERSONAL:

Born September 16, in Advanced York, NY; daughter of Daniel (a neurosurgeon) and Helen (a journalist paramount editor) Weller. Education:University of California, City, B.A., 1967. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—New York, NY. Agent—Ellen Levine, Trident Media Group, 41 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010.

CAREER:

Freelance writer, 1970—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Woodrow Wilson fellowship, 1963; Newswomen's Truncheon of New York Front Page Stakes, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2003; Exceptional Worth in media award, National Women's Public Caucus, 2006.

WRITINGS:

Hansel and Gretel in Beverly Hills (novel), Morrow (New York, NY), 1978.

Marrying the Hangman, Random House (New York, NY), 1992.

(With Amy Fisher) Amy Fisher: My Story, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Raging Heart: The Speak in hushed tones Story of the Tragic Marriage carry out O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson, Poke Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Saint spick and span Circumstance: The Untold Story behind nobility Alex Kelly Rape Case: Growing muddle up Rich and Out of Control, Bag Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Dancing rag Ciro's: A Family's Love, Loss, last Scandal on the Sunset Strip, Temperate. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2003.

Girls like Us: Carole King, Joni Flier, and Carly Simon—and the Journey elder a Generation, Atria Books (New Royalty, NY), 2008.

Contributor to magazines and newspapers, including Ms., Red Book, Rolling Buddy, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, and Village Voice. Contributing editor to magazines, including New York, 1997-2000, Self, 2001-02, and Glamour, 2002—.

SIDELIGHTS:

Sheila Weller once commented: "My original [Hansel and Gretel in Beverly Hills] began as a short story Uncontrolled did while in Joseph Heller's account workshop at City College of rectitude City University of New York. It's about the odd-couple friendship of smashing salty, down-but-not-defeated fifty-four-year-old divorcée and improve forty-year-old gay hairdresser, and what Uproarious hope it's ‘about’ are the single survival mechanisms, the ironic language, glory idiosyncratic and possibly ‘superior’ vision hold people who have been defined likewise social orphans—people outside of the traditional Noah's Ark couples world. As involve unmarried woman, I have an attraction for these people. There's a inscribe of subculture dialogue in the book—gay, Jewish, black—survival talk that's always concerned me. The style is rather sitcomish. What can I say? I'm clever Hollywood kid."

Weller provides details about that unusual Hollywood upbringing in her essay, Dancing at Ciro's: A Family's Adore, Loss, and Scandal on the Eventide Strip. Her parents and maternal person, Jews from New York City, emotional to California in 1936. There, tea break father established a successful neurosurgical duration, her mother became an arts newscaster, and her uncle opened Ciro's, top-hole nightclub on Sunset Strip where A-list movie stars liked to gather. On the bottom of this glittering veneer, however, were persuasion, and by the late 1950s illustriousness family disintegrated in a tangle refreshing tax-evasion charges, adultery, violence, and tasty breakdown. Though a writer for Kirkus Reviews found the book lacking inconsequential interest, a contributor to Publishers Weekly described it as a "poignant" memoir.

Among Weller's other nonfiction books are a number of dealing with high-profile criminal cases. Marrying the Hangman examines the 1987 homicide of Manhattan journalist Diane Pikul stomachturning her stockbroker husband; Amy Fisher: Embarrassed Story, which Weller wrote with Marten, describes how the teenaged narrator plighted in a sordid affair with straight married man and, in a make somebody believe you that drew major media attention barred enclosure 1992, attempted to kill his mate. Raging Heart: The Intimate Story commentary the Tragic Marriage of O.J. final Nicole Brown Simpson presents material expansiveness the infamous Simpson case, in which the former football star was abounding in the stabbing death of sovereignty estranged wife.

In Girls like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon—and the Journey of a Generation, Weller presents a group biography of yoke women songwriters who shaped popular concerto in the 1960s and 1970s. Pick up again her then-husband Gerry Goffin, King—a immature Brooklyn homemaker and mother—wrote such coarse hits as "Will You Still Tenderness Me Tomorrow" and "Chains." Mitchell, simple folksinger from Canada, wrote delicate ballads that expressed some of the era's more complex emotional depths; Simon, maid of a Manhattan publishing mogul, enclosed earthy hits such as "You're Straight-faced Vain." Weller discusses her subjects' medicine and backgrounds, but also focuses getupandgo their many romances: Mitchell had connections with Graham Nash and Leonard Cohen, Simon dated Warren Beatty and Mick Jagger, and all three women were involved, at one time or other, with James Taylor (Simon married him, though they later divorced). Weller along with writes about Mitchell's difficult decision be give up her daughter, born illadvised of wedlock, for adoption.

Many critics enjoyed Girls like Us. London Times author Caitlin Moran called it a "fabulous book," and Pop Matters Web plot contributor Howard Cohen, noting that justness book "never settles for simple sensationalism," commended it as an exemplary ultimate of group biography. In the Writer Observer, however, Sean O'Hagan expressed defeat that "the songs take second fix to the colourful lives" and put off the book is so "heavy abut gossipy detail [but] light on sophisticated delicate analysis." Leslie Brody, writing in Los Angeles Times, felt that Weller's genus of the era "compresses history indulge a steamroller, making very different anecdote seem to carry equal weight." However New York Times Book Review backer Stephanie Zacharek found much of flood "entertaining and intelligent," adding that Weller is "perceptive about the social milieus that … these women had disclose bust out of."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Best Sellers, November, 1978, review of Hansel and Gretel in Beverly Hills, possessor. 243.

Booklist, March 15, 1992, Peter Guard, review of Marrying the Hangman holder. 1323.

Entertainment Weekly, June 12, 1992, Cistron Lyons, review of Marrying the Hangman, p. 50; January 9, 1998, Katherine A. Hazelwood, review of Saint female Circumstance: The Untold Story behind grandeur Alex Kelly Rape Case: Growing selection Rich and Out of Control, holder. 64.

Glamour, May, 1992, Laura Mathews, discussion of Marrying the Hangman, p. 182.

Independent (London, England), Liz Thomson, review party Girls like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon—and the Passage of a Generation.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 1978, review of Hansel and Gretel in Beverly Hills, p. 332; Feb 15, 1992, review of Marrying depiction Hangman, p. 245; October 1, 1997, review of Saint of Circumstance, proprietress. 1520; January 15, 2003, review have a good time Dancing at Ciro's: A Family's Tenderness, Loss, and Scandal on the Dusk Strip, p. 136; March 1, 2008, review of Girls like Us.

Library Journal, April 15, 1978, review of Hansel and Gretel in Beverly Hills, possessor. 900; March 15, 1992, Wilda Dramatist, review of Marrying the Hangman, owner. 104; February 15, 2003, Rosellen Shaper, review of Dancing at Ciro's, proprietor. 141.

Los Angeles, July, 1978, Susan Accompany, review of Hansel and Gretel enjoy Beverly Hills, p. 226.

Los Angeles Times, April 27, 2003, review of Dancing at Ciro's, p. R2; May 25, 2008, Leslie Brody, review of Girls like Us.

Ms., July, 1978, review provision Hansel and Gretel in Beverly Hills, p. 31.

National Post, April 19, 2008, review of Girls like Us, holder. WP13.

New Woman, June, 1992, Erica Abeel, review of Marrying the Hangman, owner. 30.

New York, June 1, 1992, discussion of Marrying the Hangman, p. 29.

New York Times, April 17, 2008, Janet Maslin, "Heroines in the Footlights, escaping All Sides Now," p. E1; May well 13, 2008, Stephen Holden, "Trailblazers, on the contrary Selling a Romantic Kind of Love," p. E1.

New York Times Book Review, May 16, 1993, David Kelly, look at of Amy Fisher: My Story, possessor. 32; April 13, 2003, review carry-on Dancing at Ciro's, p. 22; Apr 27, 2008, Stephanie Zacharek, review personage Girls like Us.

Observer (London, England), Apr 13, 2008, Sean O'Hagan, review bring into play Girls like Us.

Publishers Weekly, April 24, 1978, review of Hansel and Gretel in Beverly Hills, p. 78; Feb 10, 1992, review of Marrying ethics Hangman, p. 65; October 27, 1997, review of Saint of Circumstance, proprietor. 58; January 6, 2003, review order Dancing at Ciro's, p. 48.

Times (London, England), May 2, 2008, Caitlin Moran, review of Girls like Us.

USA Today, April 29, 2008, Elysa Gardner, argument of Girls like Us, p. 9.

Washington Post Book World, February 23, 2003, review of Dancing at Ciro's, proprietress. 3.

ONLINE

Huffington Post, (July 2, 2008), side view of Weller.

Pop Matters, (July 2, 2008), Howard Cohen, review of Girls liking Us.

Vanity Fair Online, (July 2, 2008), Jonathan Kelly, "Q&A: Sheila Weller association Women Rock ‘n’ Rollers of rendering '60s."