Gottlieb, Lori 1967(?)-

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Gottlieb, Lori 1967(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1967, in CA; daughter of a stockbroker and a homemaker. Education: Attended Stanford Medical School.

ADDRESSES:

Home—CA.

CAREER:

Broadcaster, businessperson, and author. Former staff writer for Significant Others (NBC/Bravo television series); creator of pilot shows for Showtime, Oxygen, and Nickelodeon; former entertainment executive in Hollywood, CA; former editor-in-chief for Kibu.com (online magazine and community for girls). Contributor to National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," and to Minnesota Public Radio.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Best Books of 2001 citation, American Library Association, and Original New Voices citation, Borders Books, both 2001, both for Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self.

WRITINGS:

Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Jesse Jacobs) Inside the Cult of Kibu: And Other Tales of the Millennial Gold Rush, Perseus Books (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Kevin Bleyer) I Love You, Nice to Meet You: A Guy and a Girl Give the Lowdown on Coupling Up, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to books, including This Side of Doctoring: Reflections from Women in Medicine, Oxford University Press, 2000; Scoot Over, Skinny, Harvest Books, 2005; Fired!: Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized, and Dismissed, Touchstone, 2006; and The Modern Jewish Girl's Guide to Guilt, Dutton, 2006. Contributor to periodicals, including New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, People, Elle, Glamour, Redbook, Seventeen, Cosmo Girl!, San Francisco Chronicle, L.A. Weekly, New York Post, and Slate. Contributing editor, Salon.com. Former author of "Brunch With" relationship column, Mademoiselle.

ADAPTATIONS:

Stick Figure has been optioned for filming by Martin Scorsese.

SIDELIGHTS:

Lori Gottlieb, who has worked as a television executive and writer, was inspired to write her book Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self after rediscovering a diary she began keeping as an eleven-year-old growing up in Beverly Hills, California. The diary's entries, which form the backbone of Stick Figure, detail Gottlieb's lifethreatening struggle with anorexia and her parents' efforts to find the right kind of help for her. Stick Figure retains its youthful voice and feeling of immediacy because its format is diary entries, recorded before, during, and after the acute phase of the illness. Jennifer Pitchford, a reviewer for Forty-two Online, noted that Gottlieb published these candid diary entries "to share what goes on inside the head of someone with an eating disorder, to show those currently going through similar situations that they are not alone, and finally to open doors to further research and understanding on this topic." A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that Gottlieb's "descriptions of preteen vulnerability and self-consciousness ring true." Booklist contributor Donna Seaman praised the title as "effective" and concluded that Gottlieb could serve as a "patron saint for girls vulnerable to eating disorders and the adults who should be caring for them." Stick Figure has sold briskly in the young adult market, and Gottlieb has consequently made frequent television appearances on the subject of anorexia. The Forty-two Online reviewer also noted the book's value as a therapeutic tool, stating that it would be "an essential bibliotherapy tool to incorporate into psychotherapy for clients who are bothered by their weight and have a minor eating disorder or for clients who are obsessed with their weight and have a fully developed eating disorder."

Gottlieb's second book, Inside the Cult of Kibu: And Other Tales of the Millennial Gold Rush, written with Jesse Jacobs, offers an insider's view of the crash of the dot-com bubble at the turn of the century. Gottlieb and Jacobs worked for an online community called Kibu.com, a site dedicated to material for teenage girls and young women. The authors use it as a case study, while extrapolating to explore the layoffs and shutdowns that plagued the online and software industries. The book combines accounts of Gottlieb's direct experiences as a Kibu.com employee, along with oral histories from others who witnessed or participated in the dot-com lavishness and misguided attempts to create an online brand. "Gottlieb's sections are really funny, and I hope she is happy with the vengeance she has wreaked upon her vain, clueless colleagues," remarked Jamie Malanowski in the Washington Monthly. Gottlieb's "writing style manages to show both the dark humor and pathos of her situation at Kibu.com without making her come off as a crushed individual who was once a wide-eyed ingenue with dreams of stock options," commented Variety reviewer Ann Donahue. A Publishers Weekly critic deemed Inside the Cult of Kibu "an amusing … snapshot of a bygone era."

In I Love You, Nice to Meet You: A Guy and a Girl Give the Lowdown on Coupling Up, Gottlieb and Kevin Bleyer explore the spectrum of modern adult dating and all its potential rewards and headaches. They consider the beginning stages, from potential dates to blind dates to first dates. The authors' advice continues through the development of serious relationships, and includes material for those who face the difficulties of breakups and the end of long-term relationships. A unique aspect of the book is the dual perspectives offered by the male and female authors, shedding light on dating issues from the point of view of both participants. Library Journal reviewer Erica L. Foley called the book a "wonderful gem of wit, honesty, snarkiness, advice, and commentary about all the pleasant and less-than-pleasant aspects of dating relationships."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Gottlieb, Lori, Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 1, 1999, Donna Seaman, review of Stick Figure, p. 659.

Library Journal, June 15, 2006, Erica L. Foley, review of I Love You, Nice to Meet You: A Guy and a Girl Give the Lowdown on Coupling Up, p. 89.

People, November 4, 2002, Gersh Kuntzman, review of Inside the Cult of Kibu: And Other Tales of the Millennial Gold Rush, p. 53.

Publishers Weekly, January 24, 2000, review of Stick Figure, p. 300; September 2, 2002, "September Publications," review of Inside the Cult of Kibu, p. 73.

School Library Journal, September, 2000, Katherine Fitch, review of Stick Figure, p. 260.

Variety, October 7, 2002, Ann Donahue, "Techie Autopsy Casts a Too Familiar Net," review of Inside the Cult of Kibu.

Washington Monthly, September, 2002, Jamie Malanowski, "Kibu-ki Theater," review of Inside the Cult of Kibu, p. 54.