| Barbara Raskin | |
| Birth Name: | Barbara Bellman |
| Birth Date: | August 25, 1935 |
| Birth Place: | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Death Place: | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Occupation: | Journalist, novelist |
| Nationality: | American |
| Spouse: | Marcus Raskin (div. 1980) |
| Children: | 3; including Jamie Raskin |
Barbara Raskin (August 25, 1936 – July 23, 1999) was an American journalist and novelist. She was known for her 1987 best-selling novel Hot Flashes.
Raskin née Bellman was born on August 25, 1935, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[1] She attended the University of Minnesota, and the University of Chicago.[2]
Raskin worked for time as a flight attendant before settling in Washington, D.C. Raskin wrote for a variety of publications including The New Republic, The New York Times and The Washington Post.[3]
Raskin wrote five novels; The National Anthem (1977), Out of Order (1979), Hot Flashes (1987), Loose Ends (1988), and Current Affairs (1990).[3] Hot Flashes was her best-selling novel, staying on The New York Times Best Seller list for four months and selling 1.5 million copies in hardcover and paperback.[4]
Raskin was involved with organizations associated with writing and journalism. She served as chair of the National Writers Union from 1982 to 1983. She was a co-founder of Washington Independent Writers (now the American Independent Writers). In 1982 she was the recipient of a fiction award from the National Endowment for the Arts.[1]
Raskin was married to the political activist Marcus Raskin[5] with whom she had three children, including Congressman Jamie Raskin.[6] They divorced in 1980. In 1984 she married Anatole Shub. That marriage ended in divorce.[7]
Raskin died on July 23, 1999, in Baltimore, Maryland of complications after surgery for a vascular disease.[1]