Amy Silverstein

Author, attorney, and speaker Amy Silverstein was a vibrant, energetic 24-year-old student at NYU Law, when she learned she had a failing heart; suddenly, it was heart transplant or die. Her first book, Sick Girl (Grove Atlantic, 2007), published in three languages, is a bold, unforgettable self-portrait and a keenly observed, wryly humorous look at life-threatening challenges that won a "Books for a Better Life Award" and was a finalist for the Border's Original Voices Award. Her second memoir, My Glory Was I Had Such Friends (HarperWave, 2017), written after her second heart transplant 26 years later, is about the power of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit—a once-in-a-lifetime story of connection and empathy that is a powerful reminder of the importance of "showing up" for those we love. She lives in New York.