UPDATE! THE GRIFT is a New York Times Notable Book for 2008 RAISING BLAZE: A Mother and Son's Long, Strange Journey Into Autism - an updated version has been re-released with a new Postscript Both are available now - wherever books are sold For a list of Debra's 2009 appearances, please see new "Events" page Check back soon for more news! debra ginsberg about debra ginsberg Debra Ginsberg is the author of the memoirs, Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress (HarperCollins, 2000), Raising Blaze: A Mother and Son's Long, Strange Journey Into Autism (HarperCollins, 2002), and About My Sisters(HarperCollins, 2004) and the novels Blind Submission (Shaye Areheart Books, 2006) and THE GRIFT (Shaye Areheart Books, 2008). A graduate of Reed College, she has contributed to NPR’s All Things Considered, is a regular reviewer for Shelf Awareness, and works as a freelance editor. She lives in Southern California. Links Commentary: The Ice Cream Man Commentator Debra Ginsberg, mother of a child with special needs, ponders a middle-aged man in an ice cream vendor’s uniform and wonders if her own boy will have a job like this someday. (3:30). Changing Face of America: The Working Poor Author Debra Ginsberg introduces us to Maria Lopez of National City, California. Lopez is profiled as part of our series on The Changing Face of America. She’s a mother of three who is on the cusp of escaping from state assistance, the result of determination, changes in the law and a two-year college education. When national welfare reform took place in 1996, the push in state’s like California was to get people into any job. But Maria wanted to rise above poverty, so despite the odds, she got her high school equivalency degree, and enrolled in courses at a nearby junior college. Everyday is a struggle to keep from sinking into deeper poverty. But she has a feverish determination, a rosy outlook, and an ability to work the system. (14:00). Waiting Traumas Author Debra Ginsberg reads a portion of her upcoming book, Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress. (3:30). Salom.com: Slinging Curry Why never to take a waitressing job that requires you to wear a sari. "Home" an Amazon.com short