Allison Gilbert

Allison Gilbert is an American journalist and author. She is the author and co-author of six non-fiction books including Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer’s final book, The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life. The book grew out of Gilbert's article for The New York Times, “Dr. Ruth Saved People's Sex Lives. Now She Wants to Cure Loneliness,” which covered Westheimer's appointment as New York State's Ambassador to Loneliness.^[1]

Allison Gilbert
Occupation(s)	Journalist, author
Known for	Author of Listen, World!, Passed and Present
Spouse	Mark Weintraub
Children	Jake Weintraub, Lexi Weintraub
Website	www.allisongilbert.com

Career

TV news

Allison Gilbert started her career in TV news. At CNN, Gilbert produced TV segments and wrote stories for CNN.com.^[2] Before CNN, she was a producer at WABC-TV and an investigative producer at WNBC-TV.^[3]

Social health, loneliness, and grief

Gilbert has written for or been featured in many publications including The New York Times,^[4] The Wall Street Journal,^[5] The Washington Post,^[6] USA Today,^[7] and The Atlantic.^[8] Gilbert has been interviewed on Good Morning America,^[9] The TODAY Show,^[10] CNN,^[11] NPR,^[12] and more.

September 11 attacks

Gilbert was a journalist covering the September 11 attacks and went on to co-edit Covering Catastrophe: Broadcast Journalists Report September 11, a historical record of how broadcast journalists covered the attacks.^[13] Gilbert is the official narrator of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum’s historical exhibition audio tour and her voice is introduced by Robert De Niro on the museum's “Witnessing History” tour.^[14] She is the co-executive producer of the documentary Reporting 9/11 and Why It Still Matters and host of the companion 20-part documentary series Women Journalists of 9/11: Their Stories, produced in collaboration with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and Wondrium for the 20th anniversary of 9/11.^[15] These projects include interviews with journalists such as Savannah Guthrie, Maggie Haberman, Scott Pelley, Byron Pitts, Dana Bash, and Linda Wertheimer.

Publications

Books

• The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life with co-authors Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer and Pierre Lehu (Rodale: 2023)
• Listen, World!: How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America's Most-Read Woman with co-author Julia Scheeres (Seal Press: September 2022)
• Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive (Seal Press: 2016)
• Parentless Parents: How the Loss of Our Mothers and Fathers Impacts the Way We Raise Our Children (Hyperion: 2011)
• Always Too Soon: Voices of Support for Those Who Have Lost Both Parents, edited by Christina Baker Kline (Seal Press: 2006)
• Covering Catastrophe: Broadcast Journalists Report September 11, co-edited with Phil Hirshkorn, Melinda Murphy, Mitchell Stephens, and Robyn Walensky; (Bonus Books: 2002)

Select essays and reporting

• The secret to great sex isn't really a secret. It's asking the right question, 81-year-old sex professor says (February 2025) CNN^[16]
• Long After ‘Sexually Speaking,’ Dr. Ruth Taught Me About Friendship (July 2024) The New York Times^[4]
• Opinion: Dr. Ruth taught us not only about sex but also chosen family (July 2024) CNN^[17]
• Dr. Ruth Saved People's Sex Lives. Now She Wants to Cure Loneliness. (November 2023) The New York Times^[1]
• Opinion: A woman who composed the first draft of history finds herself written out of the history books (August 2023) CNN^[18]
• The Grief Crisis Is Coming (April 2021) The New York Times^[19]
• Why Looking at a Photo Can Ease Loneliness and Grief (November 2016) O, The Oprah Magazine^[20]
• Journalist and Survivor: The Rules Blurred on 9/11 (May 2014) CNN.com^[21]

Education

• Ethical Culture Fieldston School
• Georgetown University