Judy Brown (pen name, Eishes Chayil) was raised in a world of Chassidic schools, synagogues and summer camps, and is a direct descendant of some of the major founders and leaders in the Chassidic world. She received her MFA from Bar Ilan University in Israel, and has been a writer of both Jewish fiction and nonfiction for over ten years. She lives in New York City with her three children.

In 2010, her novel HUSH was published under the pseudonym Eishes Chayil. Written through the voice of a child, HUSH tells the haunting story of sexual abuse and suicide within the cloistered enclave of the ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn. Due to the sensitive nature of the subject she chose to publish the book anonymously.

A year after the book was released, Judy revealed her identity as the author in an article for The Huffington Post. Threats from within the community, and the murder of eight-year-old Leiby Kletzky at the hands of another Orthodox Jew in Boro Park, sparked her disclosure. Judy's distinctive background and experiences give her writing a unique voice worth listening to, one whose outrage never obscures her perspective or her humor.

Books by Judy Brown

This Is Not a Love Story: A Memoir

by Judy Brown - Memoir, Nonfiction

The third of six children in a family that harks back to a gloried Hassidic dynasty, Judy Brown grew up with the legacy of centuries of religious teaching, and the faith and lore that sustained her people for generations. But her carefully constructed world begins to crumble when her "crazy" brother, Nachum, returns home after a year in Israel living with relatives. Though supposedly "cured," he is still prone to retreating into his own mind or erupting in wordless rages. If God could perform miracles for Judy’s sainted ancestors, why can't He cure Nachum? And what of the other stories her family treasured?