Jessica George (writer)

Last updated
Jessica George
Born1990s
Alma mater
Years active2020–present

Jessica B. George is an English novelist and editor. Her debut novel Maame (2023) became a New York Times best seller and received a number of accolades, including an Alex Award and a Diverse Book Award.

Contents

Early life

George was born to Ghanaian parents. She began her studies in International Business at Brunel University London. Realising she lacked interest in the subject, she transferred to the English literature course at the University of Sheffield. [1]

Career

George began her career working in publishing and editing as an assistant at Bloomsbury UK. She first attempted to write novels in the superhero and mystery genres. [2] Upon losing her father to Parkinson's disease-related complications in 2020, George started writing diary entries to process her grief. This became the basis for her debut novel. [3]

Via an eight-way auction in spring 2021, [4] Hodder & Stoughton acquired the rights to publish George's debut novel Maame in 2023. The U.S. publishing rights went to St Martin's Press. [5] The novel follows 25-year-old Maddie, who is the primary carer for her ill father and has a delayed coming-of-age experience. [6] A Read with Jenna book club pick, [7] the novel debuted at #5 on the New York Times best seller list in the Hardcover Fiction category [8] and also became a Publishers Weekly bestseller. [9] Maame won an Alex Award and the Diverse Book Award for Best Adult Book. It was also shortlisted for TikTok Book of the Year and two Goodreads Choice Awards.

Also in 2023, George established the Jessica George bursary for underrepresented writers with Jericho Writers. [10]

Adaptation

In January 2023, Universal International Studios optioned Maame for television. George is attached to co-write the adaptation with Yemi Oyefuwa. [11]

Personal life

As of 2023, George lives in Wandsworth, London. [2]

Bibliography

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryTitleResultRef.
2023 TikTok Book Awards Book of the YearMaameShortlisted [12]
Goodreads Choice Awards Best Debut NovelShortlisted [13]
Best FictionShortlisted [14]
2024 Alex Awards Won [15]
Diverse Book AwardsBest Adult BookWon [16]

References

  1. ↑ Adimora, Nancy (17 February 2023). "Jessica George in conversation". Afreada. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 Strick, Katie (13 February 2023). "How Jessica George's new novel Maame became the hottest debut of 2023". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  3. ↑ Ogle, Connie (30 January 2023). "Grieving Her Father, Jessica George Wrote a Novel". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  4. ↑ Wood, Heloise (20 June 2021). "Bloomsbury editor George's debut landed by Hodder in eight-way auction". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  5. ↑ Deahl, Rachel (25 June 2021). "Book Deals: Week of June 28, 2021". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  6. ↑ Stevens, Daneet (9 February 2023). "A young woman juggles the burdens of family and self in Jessica George's engaging debut, 'Maame'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  7. ↑ Nicolaou, Elena (31 January 2023). "Jenna Bush Hager's February 2023 Read With Jenna pick is a 'late-in-life coming-of-age story'". Today. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  8. ↑ "Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  9. ↑ Juris, Carolyn (10 February 2023). "This Week's Bestsellers: February 13, 2023". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  10. ↑ Brown, Lauren (16 April 2023). "Maame author George sponsors Jericho Writers bursary for underrepresented writers". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  11. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (31 January 2023). "Universal International Studios, Thousand Voices Snap Up Jessica George's Debut Novel 'Maame,' Set Series". Variety. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  12. ↑ Jackson, Stacy (19 July 2023). "Black Women Of 'BookTok' Nominated In First-Ever TikTok Book Awards". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  13. ↑ "Readers' Favorite Debut 2023 — Goodreads Choice Awards". Goodreads. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "Readers' Favorite Fiction 2023 — Goodreads Choice Awards". Goodreads. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "Young Adult Library Services Association announces 2024 Alex Awards". Alex Awards. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "2024 Winners". The Diverse Book Awards. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.