Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Taffy Brodesser-Akner (born Stephanie Akner) is an American journalist and author. She has worked freelance and as a contributor for GQ and The New York Times, where she is now a staff writer. Her profiles of celebrities have won her the New York Press Club Award and Mirror Award. Her first novel, Fleishman Is in Trouble, achieved widespread success. Personal life Born Stephanie Akner, Brodesser-Akner received the nickname "Taffy" at a young age and continued using it professionally. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in an Orthodox Jewish household. She attended New York University. She married Claude Brodesser in 2006. Brodesser converted to Judaism, a process that eventually led Akner to evaluate and reinforce her own observance of Jewish customs. After marrying, both took hyphenated last names. They have two children. Career