SUSANNAH GORA
Susannah Gora is the author of You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, And Their Impact On A Generation. She has written for publications including Variety, Premiere, and Elle. As Associate Editor of Premiere Magazine, Gora wrote and oversaw the magazine's monthly “Previews” section- a comprehensive guide to “the movies that matter this month,” from the biggest blockbuster to the smallest indie gem. Over the years, her hundreds of interviews have included such actors as Meryl Streep, Anthony Hopkins, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, and Harrison Ford.
Susannah Gora has appeared on networks including NBC, CBS, VH1, MTV, E!, A & E, Bravo and CNN Headline News to discuss movies. Gora was also the host and writer of Classics on Film, a 2005 DVD series produced by Penguin Books which covered classic novels that have been made into great films. Additionally, Gora reviewed films on the Associated Press's national “All News Radio” network for three years, reaching two million listeners per broadcast.
Susannah Gora also serves as Director of The Friars Club Comedy Film Festival, and she was a 2008 Duke University Expert in Residence, in conjunction with Duke’s department of Film Studies. Gora has worked for ABC Television, interned for CBS News and Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, and has studied filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She graduated cum laude with High Distinction in English from Duke University in 1999, where she was the recipient of the E. Blake Byrne scholarship for creative writing. Susannah Gora is included in “Who’s Who in America” and is a member of The Friars Club and The Author’s Guild.
She is married and lives in Manhattan, where she was born and raised.
PRAISE FOR YOU COULDN’T IGNORE ME IF YOU TRIED
"Gora interviews all the major actors and players anew and knits together a narrative that, in the end, gives fans a clear, sound understanding of what commercial and cultural forces produced these films…and why they still mean a great deal to so many." –The Chicago Sun-Times
"Gora has written a book that will form the basis of sociology and film studies courses as an important tribute to teenagers everywhere." –The Winnipeg Free Press
"With the passion of a fan and the inquisitiveness of a good journalist, author Gora has produced a book on the phenomenon of these 1980s movies that is as readable as it is informative. Based on her own observations and interviews with many of the people who made these films, among others, her lively book sets the films into the context of their time, explains why they stood out then – and why they continue to resonate today... It’s hard to believe that a quarter-century has passed since the first of these films appeared, but it’s true. That makes them part of movie – and pop culture – history, and they are well served by this excellent volume." –Leonard Maltin