Author Media Kit

Amy Kaufman Burk 

PRONOUNS: she/her/hers

SHORT BIO: Amy Kaufman Burk writes novels about periods in her life which opened her world. Her novels reflect a mental health perspective from her first career — 20+ years as a psychotherapist. Amy loved being a therapist and couldn’t imagine a career as fulfilling. But she was wrong. She loves writing novels and shorter opinion pieces, and is grateful for both of her careers. Her future plans include writing forever.

LONG BIO: Amy Kaufman Burk grew up in the Hollywood Hills surrounded by creativity. Her father wrote screenplays, and her home was filled with artists, dancers, directors, actors, photographers, authors, and thousands of books. Amy graduated from Hollywood High School, then studied psychology at Yale College, graduating cum laude with distinction in her major. She earned a master’s degree in Health and Medical Sciences from UC Berkeley and a Doctorate in Mental Health from UC San Francisco. After practicing psychotherapy for over twenty years, she began writing.

Amy met her husband in college, and they have three grown children, one wonderful son-in-law, one wonderful soon-to-be daughter-in-law, one grand-dog and two grand-cats (although one of the cats doesn’t like Amy very much).

Hollywood Pride is based on Amy’s experience in tenth grade, when she transferred from a college prep academy to the local public high school. At her new school, she found over forty languages spoken among the students, no single racial heritage a majority, and an economic spectrum ranging from kids living on the streets to the wealthy homes in the Hollywood Hills. Being a part of Hollywood High’s diverse community shaped Amy’s outlook on all aspects of her life going forward.

Hollywood Pride is Amy’s voice for a stronger today and a better tomorrow.

BOOKSELLERS and LIBRARIES:

Hollywood Pride will be available on IngramSpark in 2025.

DESCRIPTION:

In the fall of 1973, Caroline Black announces to her bewildered parents that she is leaving Laurel Academy for Girls and transferring to her local public school, Hollywood High. Initially, Caroline is overwhelmed. The three-thousand students speak over forty languages. The economic spectrum ranges from kids in wealthy homes to runaways living on the streets. In Caroline's first few weeks of tenth grade, a knife fight breaks out in the library, she volunteers to tutor struggling students and is immediately assigned the leader of a gang, and she witnesses a gay student bullied by a pack of boys. 

Growing up a nerd in a film industry family, Caroline is used to being an outsider. At her new school, she finds a diverse group of friends and begins to realize that she belongs. But Hollywood High's many different communities don't easily coexist. When her LGBTQ+ friends are targeted, she feels compelled to take a risk and step forward. When she unexpectedly becomes a target, she discovers hidden strengths she never imagined.

Hollywood Pride was originally published in 2013 as Hollywood High: Achieve The Honorable. The novel was rewritten, including a new cover and title, to address Don’t Say Gay policies, targeting LGBTQ+, racial bigotry, blocking Critical Race Theory, banned books, bullying.