Newman, Susan

PERSONAL: Married; children: one son, four stepchildren. Education: Northwestern University, B.A.; Fielding Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, Ph.D.

ADDRESSES: Home—NJ. Agent—Carol Mann Agency, 55 5th Ave., New York, NY 10003. E-mail—newman@susannewmanphd.com; newman@thebookofno.com.

CAREER: Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, faculty member; court-appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children. Has appeared on television and radio programs, including the Larry King Show, The Today Show, NPR's Talk of the Nation, NBC Nightly News, ABC News, CNN News, CBSN, FOX News, and morning talk shows. Consultant for CompuServe's Family Forum; online expert for iVillage.com, and America Online's month-long Parent Soup challenge, "Make a Memory."

MEMBER: American Psychological Association, Authors Guild, American Society of Journalists and Authors, New Jersey Psychological Association.

WRITINGS:

Never Say Yes to a Stranger: What Your Child Must Know to Stay Safe, photographs by George Tiboni, Putnam (New York, NY, 1985.

You Can Say No to a Drink or a Drug, photographs by George Tiboni, Putnam (New York, NY, 1986.

It Won't Happen to Me, photographs by George Tiboni, Perigree Books (New York, NY, 1987.

Parenting an Only Child: The Joys and Challenges of Raising Your One and Only, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1990, revised and updated edition, Broadway Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Don't be S.A.D.: A Teenage Guide to Handling Stress, Anxiety & Depression, J. Messner (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1991.

Little Things Long Remembered: Making Your Children Feel Special Every Day, illustrated by Jennifer Harper, Crown (New York, NY), 1993.

Let's Always—: Promises to Make Love Last, Berkley (New York, NY), 1995.

Little Things Mean a Lot: Creating Happy Memories with Your Grandchildren, illustrations by Cary Mclver, Crown (New York, NY), 1996.

(With Janet Spencer King), Getting Your Child into College: What Parents Must Know, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 1996.

Little Things Shared: Lasting Connections between Family and Friends, Crown (New York, NY), 1998.

Nobody's Baby Now: Reinventing Your Adult Relationship with Your Mother and Father, Walker (New York, NY), 2003.

The Book of No: 250 Ways to Say It—and Mean It—and Stop People-Pleasing Forever, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, Family Circle, and Parents. Former contributing editor to Mothers Today and Working Parents magazines.

SIDELIGHTS: Susan Newman is a social psychologist who has written numerous books about parenting, children, and issues concerning family life and relationships. For example, she first wrote Parenting an Only Child: The Joys and Challenges of Raising Your One and Only in 1990. In the revised and updated 2001 version, the author further emphasizes how having only one child fits well into modern society and pressures. Nevertheless, she also delves into the negatives of having an only child and offers parenting advice on avoiding problems. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented on the book, noting that the author "expertly discusses the finer points of raising an only child, with tips for encouraging sharing, making sure your child isn't running the household." In The Book of No: 250 Ways to Say It—and Mean It—and Stop People-Pleasing Forever, the author guides people in overcoming guilt for saying "no," whether it be to children, relatives, friends, or coworkers. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented that the author "writes with humor but a no-nonsense tone, offering … workable techniques for helping you just say no."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS:

Library Journal, November 15, 2005, Deborah Bigelow, review of The Book of No: 250 Ways to Say It—and Mean It—and Stop People-Pleasing Forever, p. 85.

Publishers Weekly, July 16, 2001, review of Parenting an Only Child: The Joys and Challenges of Raising Your One and Only, p. 178; October 31, 2005, review of The Book of No p. 43.

ONLINE

Parenting Bookmark, http://www.parentingbookmark.com/ (April 26, 2006), brief profile of the author.

Susan Newman Home Page, http://www.susannewmanphd.com (April 26, 2006).

Book of No Web Site, http://www.thebookofno.com (June 2, 2006).

WomanOf.com, http://www.womenof.com/ (April 26, 2006), "Woman Of the Month: Parenting Expert Susan Newman, Ph.D."