Background

Amanda Brown was born on October 6, 1970, in Paradise Valley, Arizona, United States. She is the daughter of Jack E. Brown, a lawyer, and Suzanne J. Brown, an art gallery owner.

Education

In 1993 Amanda Brown graduated from Arizona State University. From 1993 to 1995 she attended Stanford Law School. Brown, who left the Law School in 1995 after two years, says she’s glad she went. "It helped me decide what I wanted to do: write."

Career

Amanda Brown wrote the novel Legally Blonde, the prototype for the 2001 blockbuster movie of the same title, inspired by the law students she observed while studying at Stanford Law School. Her main character, the blonde Elle Woods, a California University senior and sorority president, expects to graduate with a major in sociopolitical jewelry design and marry Warner Huntington III. Warner breaks up with her in order to attend Stanford Law School and find a more studious girlfriend. Instead of wallowing in disappointment, Elle plans to win him back and applies to Stanford Law School. Due to a creative video and the need for all forms of diversity, Stanford accepts her. Her determination guarantees her success at Stanford, but not in the way she expected.

Brown's second novel, Family Trust, introduces Becca Reinhart, a Wall Street workaholic, and Edward Kirkland, a swinging bachelor who represents his wealthy family at social and charity events. They are brought together by the unfortunate deaths of their friends, an unmarried couple, who have a child, Emily. Each parent names their friend guardian, and Becca and Edward are given a three-month trial period to see who receives custody, with the understanding that if one marries, Emily goes to the married couple. Both Becca and Edward forgo their busy single lives to be parents. They begin to care for Emily and work through their own differences. Edward's unlikable socialite friend, Bunny, intends to marry Edward and tricks him into setting a wedding date. Becca wonders how this marriage will affect Emily.

Because of the success of the movie Legally Blonde, Family Trust received prepublication hype, and reviews were mixed. School of Fortune, which Brown wrote with Janice Weber, kicks off a brand-new series geared toward younger readers. Heroine Pippa Walker is a smart, sassy girl on the verge of marriage to a Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Pippa's society mother Thayne is even more excited about the wedding than she is, and has arranged every moment of the lavish and pricy ceremony and party to follow, a gala event that will put the most extravagant celebrity weddings to shame. This leaves Pippa with a problem when she learns something devastating about her husband-to-be - he is more interested in the groomsmen than in the bride - and is forced to call the wedding off at the last minute. Her announcement results in her being disowned. Pippa's only chance to start a new life is to go to college and get herself a degree, the contingency in her grandfather's will that will secure her inheritance and, with it, her independence.

Achievements

• Amanda Brown is best known as the author of Legally Blonde. The novel was the basis of the 2001 film Legally Blonde which starred Reese Witherspoon and its 2003 sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, as well as the 2007 musical Legally Blonde, and the 2009 direct-to-video film Legally Blondes. It has been translated into German.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Legally Blonde

    (Elle Wood, University of Southern California sorority pre...)

    2001
  • School of Fortune

    (Pippa Walker's wedding was to be huge - Texas huge - comp...)

    2007
  • Family Trust

    (Firmly planted on the Wall Street fast track to success, ...)

    2003

Views

Amanda Brown is active in charities. She is also an activist. Brown serves on the board of the Peninsula Humane Society. She helps the group’s professionals rehabilitate sick animals and find all homeless animals a place to live. She also works on a number of development projects, helping to raise money and awareness for the cause. Brown says that she is often asked why she works so hard to prevent animal cruelty when there is so much cruelty towards humans. Her argument: "all forms of cruelty are related and that humans will never be kind to each other unless they are kind to animals. Moreover, animals do so much for people."

Connections

Amanda Brown is married to Justin Chang. They have a daughter.

Father:

Jack E. Brown

Mother:

Suzanne J. Brown

Spouse:

Justin Chang

References

• Contemporary Authors
  2004