Hannah Friedman
Encyclopedia
Hannah Friedman is a writer
, director, and musician
from New York
.
. Hannah's mother worked for a time training monkeys. While in this job, she adopted a capuchin monkey
named Amelia, who has lived with the family for almost thirty years.
Friedman's high school career saw her first publication, a 2004 article in Newsweek
Magazine called "When Your Friends Become The Enemy" about the difficulties of the college application process; to date, Friedman remains one of the youngest people to have been published in Newsweek.
Friedman then attended Yale University
, graduating in 2008. She was a winner of the 2007 Yale Playwrights Festival for her play, Spread It Thin.
In 2008, Friedman won the Procter & Gamble
/ New York Television Festival
Flying Solo competition. Her original television pilot premiered at the NYTVF and on mylifetime.com and chronicled the writing process for her first book, Everything Sucks, which was published in August 2009 by HCI Books.
released by HCI Books in August 2009 that recounts the story of her adolescence. It begins with the story of the year when Friedman was in middle school
that her family spent living on a tour bus traveling the United Kingdom
as her father performed concerts around the country. It then describes her struggle to fit in when she returned to public school, which leads her parents to put her in private school
instead. After enrolling at a prestigious boarding school, Friedman falls in with the popular crowd and finally begins to live the life of which she has always dreamed, only to find that it is not quite what she had imagined.
In interviews Friedman has described the book as the story of "sex
, drugs
, and SAT
s," including "a live monkey, a dead friend..., a national scandal, a diet
disaster, and all the rest of that fantastic awkwardness that makes our teenage years so deliciously angst-ridden." She has indicated on several occasions that she wrote it to provide honest information about real-world problems facing teenagers everywhere, the kind of information that she says she wishes had been available to her when she was in high school.
Friedman's book has been well received, with an average customer rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com
. Further, the book was reviewed very positively on Salon.com
, which concluded, "Not only is Friedman's writing striking for its blunt, unromantic realism; her prose also displays a self-aware wit that is all too rare in the genre."
under the user name "WritingHannah." Her videos often consist of original comedy songs, which Friedman typically sings while accompanying herself on the guitar; these videos have attracted thousands of subscribers and hundreds of thousands of views.
In October 2009, Friedman was asked to perform at the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the National Coalition Against Censorship
, a charity benefit gala hosted by Judy Blume
that also featured appearances by Whoopi Goldberg
, Mary-Louise Parker
, Joan Rivers
, Rachel Dratch
, Michelle Branch
, and Junot Diaz
. Friedman wrote and performed an original comedy song called "Party Like It's 1984."
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, director, and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Biography
Hannah Friedman is the elder of two children born to notable singer-songwriter Dean FriedmanDean Friedman
Dean Friedman is an American singer-songwriter who plays piano, keyboard, guitar and other instruments, including the harmonica.-Music:...
. Hannah's mother worked for a time training monkeys. While in this job, she adopted a capuchin monkey
Capuchin monkey
The capuchins are New World monkeys of the genus Cebus. The range of capuchin monkeys includes Central America and South America as far south as northern Argentina...
named Amelia, who has lived with the family for almost thirty years.
Friedman's high school career saw her first publication, a 2004 article in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
Magazine called "When Your Friends Become The Enemy" about the difficulties of the college application process; to date, Friedman remains one of the youngest people to have been published in Newsweek.
Friedman then attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, graduating in 2008. She was a winner of the 2007 Yale Playwrights Festival for her play, Spread It Thin.
In 2008, Friedman won the Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
/ New York Television Festival
New York Television Festival
The New York Television Festival is a yearly gathering of artists, fans, and executives to celebrate independent small-screen productions. It was founded in 2005, and is held in venues in New York City....
Flying Solo competition. Her original television pilot premiered at the NYTVF and on mylifetime.com and chronicled the writing process for her first book, Everything Sucks, which was published in August 2009 by HCI Books.
Everything Sucks
Friedman's debut book, Everything Sucks, was a teen memoirMemoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
released by HCI Books in August 2009 that recounts the story of her adolescence. It begins with the story of the year when Friedman was in middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
that her family spent living on a tour bus traveling the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as her father performed concerts around the country. It then describes her struggle to fit in when she returned to public school, which leads her parents to put her in private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
instead. After enrolling at a prestigious boarding school, Friedman falls in with the popular crowd and finally begins to live the life of which she has always dreamed, only to find that it is not quite what she had imagined.
In interviews Friedman has described the book as the story of "sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
, and SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
s," including "a live monkey, a dead friend..., a national scandal, a diet
Dieting
Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated fashion to achieve or maintain a controlled weight. In most cases dieting is used in combination with physical exercise to lose weight in those who are overweight or obese. Some athletes, however, follow a diet to gain weight...
disaster, and all the rest of that fantastic awkwardness that makes our teenage years so deliciously angst-ridden." She has indicated on several occasions that she wrote it to provide honest information about real-world problems facing teenagers everywhere, the kind of information that she says she wishes had been available to her when she was in high school.
Friedman's book has been well received, with an average customer rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
. Further, the book was reviewed very positively on Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, which concluded, "Not only is Friedman's writing striking for its blunt, unromantic realism; her prose also displays a self-aware wit that is all too rare in the genre."
Musical career
Friedman maintains a popular account on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
under the user name "WritingHannah." Her videos often consist of original comedy songs, which Friedman typically sings while accompanying herself on the guitar; these videos have attracted thousands of subscribers and hundreds of thousands of views.
In October 2009, Friedman was asked to perform at the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the National Coalition Against Censorship
National Coalition Against Censorship
The National Coalition Against Censorship , founded in 1974, is an alliance of 50 national non-profit organizations, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups...
, a charity benefit gala hosted by Judy Blume
Judy Blume
Judy Blume is an American author. She has written many novels for children and young adults which have exceeded sales of 80 million and been translated into 31 languages...
that also featured appearances by Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
, Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
, Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch
Rachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
, Michelle Branch
Michelle Branch
Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums, The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper, and was subsequently nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2003...
, and Junot Diaz
Junot Díaz
Junot Díaz is a Dominican-American writer and creative writing professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Central to Díaz's work is the immigrant experience...
. Friedman wrote and performed an original comedy song called "Party Like It's 1984."