Abby Ellin (born 1968) is an American author and journalist. The author of two books, including ''Duped: Double Lives, False Identities, and the Con Man I Almost Married'', she writes regularly for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', and has contributed to ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'', and ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

'', among other publications. Ellin grew up in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

, and attended Brookline High School. She holds a BS in communications from

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and go ...

, an MFA in creative writing from

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...

, and a master's degree in international public policy from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

. Ellin's first book, ''Teenage Waistland: A Former Fat Kid Weighs In on Living Large, Losing Weight, and How Parents Can (and Can't) Help'', published in 2007, documents her own experience as an overweight teenager, and examines the psychological, medical, and cultural impact of obesity on adolescents. ''Duped: Double Lives, False Identities, and the Con Man I Almost Married'' was published in January 2019. Based on her relationship with a man she identifies as The Commander, an ex–Navy Seal who falsely claimed to be the high-level CIA operative mastermind, the book "turns her heartache into a riveting memoir that's also an insightful investigation into the nature of emotional con artists." The book expanded on "The Drama of Deception," a cover story Ellin wrote for ''Psychology Today'' in 2015.

Bibliography

*''TEENAGE WAISTLAND: A Former Fat Kid Weighs In on Living Large, Losing Weight, and How Parents Can (and Can't) Help'', PublicAffairs, 2007, *''DUPED: Double Lives, False Identities, and the Con Man I Almost Married'', PublicAffairs/Hachette, 2019,

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellin, Abby 1968 births Living people American memoirists Ithaca College alumni Emerson College alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Writers from Brookline, Massachusetts American columnists American women memoirists American women columnists Brookline High School alumni 21st-century American women