About

I'm a chronicler of overlooked 20th-century women, a journalist, and a recovering mystery writer. My fourth work of narrative nonfiction, The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill: Abortion, Death, and Concealment in Victorian New England, was released by Chicago Review Press in 2024, and my latest title (details to come) will be published in 2026. As a longtime freelancer for the New York Times, I contributed more than 150 pieces on topics ranging from ice dancing to automotive repairs, and I continue to write op-eds for the New York Daily News and the Hartford Courant. In a past life, I published three mystery novels and contributed a short story to Best of Sisters in Crime, edited by Marilyn Wallace. I live in Brooklyn, NY.

Featured Work

The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill: Abortion, Death, and Concealment in Victorian New England

2024
A book cover featuring an old-fashioned photo of a young woman dressed in late 19th century clothing. There's a crack over the image, suggesting the deterioration of the photographic print and also suggesting harm to the woman.

In 1898, a group of schoolboys in Bridgeport, Connecticut, discovered gruesome packages under a bridge holding the dismembered remains of a young woman.

Finding that the dead woman had just undergone an abortion, prosecutors raced to establish her identity and fix blame for her death. Suspicion fell on Nancy Guilford, half of a married pair of “doctors” well known to police throughout New England.

A fascinated public followed the suspect’s flight from justice, as many rooted for the fugitive. The Disquieting Death of Emma Gill takes a close look not only at the Guilfords, but also at the cultural shifts and social compacts that allowed their practice to flourish while abortion was both illegal and unregulated.

Focusing on the women at the heart of the story—both victim and perpetrator—Biederman reexamines this slice of history through a feminist lens and reminds us of the very real lives at stake when a woman's body and choices are controlled by others.
Read less

Other Works

  • A Mighty Force: Dr. Elizabeth Hayes and Her War for Public Health

    2021

  • Scan Artist: How Evelyn Wood Convinced the World That Speed-Reading Worked

    2019

  • Popovers and Candlelight: Patricia Murphy and the Rise and Fall of a Restaurant Empire

    2018