Susan Abel Lieberman

I have lived in nine cities and enjoyed them all, but I especially like Houston and San Diego where we now live. I am married to a retired research physician who writes poetry and fiction; we call our house Casa De Palabras.

My latest book, CRACK THE CODE. A Guide to College Success for First Gens evolved from forty years of mentoring and chance conversation with a young Black woman at a conference. It was shaped by 60 interviews with First Gen as well as reading and research, and it was such a pleasure to work on.

I have always written the books I need to read, but in the case of CRACK THE CODE, I wrote a book I so wanted all the young people who could benefit from a wise mentor but could not have one to read. It was written while we isolated by Covid 19, and it made those months pleasurable instead of dreary.

It makes me happy to take an idea with which I am struggling, hear what others have to say, and think about how to unravel and present it clearly. In the writing, I tack to clarity for my own thinking. And then I hope the results will bring clarity to others. Writing has gotten woven in between raising two sons, working as a teacher, coach and program director, but it has been a touchstone for forty years.

The Mother-In-Law's Manual came out of my efforts to figure out how to be a great mother-in-law. Death, Dying & Dessert flowed from my mother's death and an awareness of the importance of talking about dying while fully living. How to Find Good Work Without a College Degree came from being asked a mentee's husband move forward. All my work has involved interviewing, and those hundreds of conversations have made me a wiser, more empathic and more informed person.

This last book has nothing to do with profit. You have to pay for it on Amazon because those are their rules -- and it is probably best in print form -- but a free downloadable version can be found at www.FirstGenCollegeSuccess.com. I hope readers will find it, use it and tell others.

More about Susan Lieberman can be found at www.susanlieberman.com