Rachel Simon is the critically acclaimed author of six books, the best known of which are the novel The Story of Beautiful Girl (2011) and the memoir Riding The Bus With My Sister (2002). Her other books are the memoir The House on Teacher's Lane (2010); an inspirational book for writers, The Writer's Survival Guide (1997); a novel, The Magic Touch (1994); and a collection of short stories, Little Nightmares, Little Dreams (1990). Her work has been adapted for film, stage, radio, and television.
Riding The Bus With My Sister, which was a national bestseller, was adapted for a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. Originally airing on CBS in 2005 and frequently rebroadcast on the Hallmark Channel, the film stars Rosie O' Donnell as Beth and Andie McDowell as Rachel, and was directed by Anjelica Huston. The success of the book and film led to Rachel becoming a widely sought-after speaker around the country.
Rachel was born in 1959 in Newark, NJ, and spent most of her first sixteen years in northern New Jersey. She graduated from Solebury School, a boarding school in New Hope, PA, in 1977, and received a degree in Anthropology from Bryn Mawr College in 1981. After spending the next few decades in the Philadelphia region and central New Jersey, Rachel moved to her current home of Wilmington, Delaware, where she lives with her husband, the architect Hal Dean. She has been writing full-time since 2007.
Awards and Recognition for Riding the Bus with My Sister:
• School Library Journal Best Nonfiction of 2003
• Secretary Tommy G. Thompson Recognition Award for Contributions to the Field of Disability from the US Department of Health and Human Services
• TASH Image Award for positive portrayals of people with disabilities
• Media Access Award from California Governor's Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities
• Selection of numerous One Community-One Book programs nationwide
Additional Honors:
• One of the only authors to have been selected twice for the Barnes & Nobel Discover New Writers Award, once for the novel The Magic Touch, and again for the memoir, Riding The Bus With My Sister
• Creative Writing Fellowship recipient from the Delaware Division of the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, and the Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation
• Adaptations of stories and books have been produced by the NPR program “Selected Shorts”; the Lifetime television series “The Hidden Room”; the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia; and Hallmark Hall of Fame
• Recipient of 2009 Wilmington Award for personal achievement and collaborative effort to strengthen Wilmington, DE
Contact Rachel Simon:
rachelsimon2008@gmail.com
Media Inquiries about The Story Of Beautiful Girl:
contact Evan Boorstyn at evan.boorstyn@hbgusa.com or call 212-364-1259
Media Inquiries about Riding The Bus With My Sister and The House On Teacher's Lane:
contact Mary Pomponio at mary.pomponio@us.penguingroup.com or call 212-366-2218
Speaking Inquiries:
contact Marc Goldman at marc@damonbrooks.com or call 805-604-9017