Judith Pearson is a best-selling author, an accomplished presenter, and a graduate of Michigan State University. But her favorite title is “story teller.”
With expertise in cancer survivorship, women’s history, and the study of courage, Judy’s first books told of ordinary people who became extraordinary heroes during World War II: Belly of the Beast: A POW’s True Story of Faith, Courage and Survival and The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America’s Greatest Female Spy. The latter is a best-seller, received a “Best of Phoenix Award, and has been purchased for a movie.
A diagnosis of Triple Negative Breast Cancer briefly interrupted Judy’s career as an author. Believing there is always treasure in life’s wreckage, cancer inspired her to found A 2nd Act, a nonprofit that supports and celebrates women survivors of all cancers who are giving back to the greater good. (More about that HERE.)
A 2nd Act led to an accidental trilogy, beginning with From Shadows to Life: A Biography of the Cancer Survivorship Movement. In addition to receiving wonderful praise, it was also a 2022 Nautilus Gold Award winner. During research for that book, Judy was introduced to the inimitable Mary Lasker.
Crusade to Heal America: The Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker is the never-before-told story of the woman who persuaded President Richard Nixon to allocate over $1 billion to cancer research, dramatically changing survival rates. The book was selected a 2023 Florida Book Award winner.
The third book in the trilogy is Radical Sisters: Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, Evelyn Lauder, and the Dawn of the Breast Cancer Movement. Those three courageous women turned their darkest day into life-saving changes for all the the breast cancer survivors who came afterward.
Judy is already at work on her next biography about another unsung she-ro. Stay tuned for more info!
Judy is a founding board member of Arizona Women for the Arts. She is a member of numerous organizations including Biography International, Gulf Coast Writers Association, and AAUW. She was named one of Chicago’s Most Inspirational Women, selected as a finalist for the Arizona Healthcare Leadership Awards, and named a Phoenix Healthcare Hero.
She and her husband live on Florida’s beautiful gulf coast, where long beach walks ignite her creativity.
