Francine Russo is the author of They're Your Parents, Too! How Siblings Can Survive Their Parents’ Aging Without Driving Each Other Crazy. She is a widely recognized journalist known for her alertness to developing trends, especially in her own boomer generation, and she answers reader questions on her website: www.YourParentsToo.com

Keenly attuned to psychological themes, she has honed the intimate interview, drawing her subjects to discover and articulate their own deepest feelings, talents she mined in her appearance on Oprah and other venues. A former college professor, she has frequently spoken before groups, participated on seminar panels and has appeared on television and radio. She is a lively and informed speaker who can tailor presentations for either a professional or general audience.

Russo’s New York Magazine cover story “Live-in Divorce” became an instant classic and was recently reprinted as one of the magazine’s best stories of the last 40 years. Her in-depth New York Times Magazine profile of Hedda Nussbaum generated unanimous critical acclaim, and her pieces for The Atlantic sparked media debate and were widely anthologized.

For nearly a decade Russo covered the boomer beat for Time magazine and in 2004 established a popular niche, becoming Time magazine's boomer expert in her regularly featured "Ask Francine” column. She has developed an enthusiastic following with her frequent articles in media like Redbook, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, and The Village Voice, where she also was a theater critic for over a decade. Her 2005 Time article, "Who Cares More for Mom" attracted wide attention and was the genesis for her book.

In 2009 she became a New York Times Fellow, Age Boom Academy, International Longevity Center. She brings a rich personal history to her writing as a daughter, sister, wife, widow, mother of two, and stepmother of three. She has a Ph.D. in English and lives in Manhattan.

Show full bio

Hide full bio