Lisa Belkin is an American journalist and author.[1] She is best known for Show Me a Hero: A Tale of Murder, Suicide, Race, and Redemption, her 1999 book about a public housing battle in Yonkers, New York.[2]
Show Me a Hero received positive reviews. Publishers Weekly wrote that it was a "vivid slice of urban politics, racial tension and the difficulties inherent in realizing the American dream."[3]Kirkus Reviews declared it a "riveting policy chronicle and cautionary tale that illustrates the urgency of rethinking our public housing policy."[4]The New York Times praised Belkin for maintaining a reportorial objectivity.[5]Show Me a Hero served as the basis for the 2015 HBO miniseries, starring Oscar Isaac.[6]
Her first book, First, Do No Harm: The Dramatic Story of Real Doctors and Patients Making Impossible Choices at a Big-City Hospital, was a New York Times 1993 Notable Book of the Year.[7]
Belkin has worked as a journalist for Yahoo News, The New York Times, and HuffPost.[8][9][10] She hosted a radio show on XM, an outgrowth of her "Life's Work" column.[11][12]