Meet Judy L. Mandel

Judy L. Mandel is a former reporter and marketing executive. After the death of her parents, she knew that it was time to write the story of her family; their emotional and physical survival of a devastating plane crash that killed an older sister and left a remaining sister critically burned and close to death. Her New York Times Bestseller, REPLACEMENT CHILD, is the story that her parents and sister had unknowingly prepared her to write, through letters and news clips, pointing her to clues of their inner lives. Replacement Child was the #1 Memoir in Amazon, won an IPPY award, a Writer’s Digest Award, and was named Book-of-the-Month by the Jewish Book Club.

Judy Mandel
Cat

Her new book, WHITE FLAG, is related to her first book as she becomes aware of the tentacles of transgenerational trauma stemming from the family tragedy—the plane crash in 1952. WHITE FLAG is an investigative memoir centered on her niece’s struggle with an addiction to opiates.

Judy holds an MFA from Stony Brook University. She also writes essays and articles and is a co-founder of the Replacement Child Forum. Judy lives in Connecticut with her husband and obese orange cat. She plays guitar and is learning piano. Her cat, Simon, has consented to have his photo on this page.