Adele Griffin
An author who has spent decades capturing the raw, complex interior lives of teenagers and young adults with unflinching honesty.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American young adult fiction author·Birthday: July 29·Generation X
Biography
Adele Griffin's literary territory is the emotional frontier of adolescence and young adulthood, a landscape she maps with psychological precision and deep empathy. Since her debut in the 1990s, she has built a substantial and varied body of work, moving seamlessly between historical fiction, contemporary realism, ghost stories, and dark comedy. Two of her novels, 'Sons of Liberty' and 'Where I Want to Be,' were named finalists for the National Book Award, signaling early the serious literary regard for her nuanced storytelling. Griffin has a particular gift for giving voice to characters on the margins or in moments of profound transition, exploring themes of identity, friendship, mental health, and family with a lack of sentimentality that resonates with her readers. In recent years, she has expanded into adult fiction and podcasting, co-hosting 'So, Mom' with her mother, while continuing to be a vital and insightful voice in young adult literature.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Adele was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Adele Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Adele's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Authored two National Book Award Finalists for Young People's Literature: 'Sons of Liberty' (1997) and 'Where I Want to Be' (2005).
- Has written over thirty books across young adult, middle grade, and adult genres.
- Co-hosts the podcast 'So, Mom' with her mother, Dr. Priscilla Sands, exploring family dynamics.
- Co-writes a dark romance series with author Julie Buxbaum under the pen name Taylor Hutton.
Did You Know?
She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
Her novel 'The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone' is written in a documentary style, using interviews and photographs.
She has served on the board of the National Book Foundation.
She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
“I write about the moment a secret becomes too heavy to hold.”
