Hope Edelman

Hope Edelman (BSJ86) was inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement in 2012.

Edelman is a recognized expert on the long-term effects of early mother loss. In 1994 she wrote the international bestseller “Motherless Daughters” which chronicles the experience of nearly 200 women, including herself, who have lost their mothers at a young age to death or abandonment. Her subsequent books examined related topics including the grandmother-granddaughter relationship and the experiences of motherless women when they become mothers themselves.

Her articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and Writer’s Digest.

She has a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in creative nonfiction.

She is the recipient of a New York Times Notable Book of the Year designation and a Pushcart Prize for creative nonfiction. She teaches regularly in the MFA program at Antioch University-Los Angeles and is a member of Northwestern’s Council of 100, a group of 100 notable women alumni who mentor current Northwestern students and recent graduates.