Emma McLaughlin

Emma McLaughlin is an American author best known for co-writing, with Nicola Kraus, the international bestseller The Nanny Diaries (2002). A graduate of New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, McLaughlin worked as a nanny for more than thirty families in Manhattan during her college years. This experience inspired her satirical debut, which exposed the absurdities of wealthy Upper East Side parenting through the eyes of an overworked nanny. The novel became a 1 New York Times bestseller and was adapted into a 2007 film starring Scarlett Johansson.

McLaughlin continued her successful collaboration with Kraus, co-authoring Citizen Girl (2004), a satire of corporate America; Dedication (2007), a romantic comedy; Nanny Returns (2009), the sequel to their debut; Over You (2012); The First Affair (2013); and How to Be a Grown-Up (2014).

Her work is characterized by sharp wit, keen social observation, and a fascination with class, motherhood, and the tensions of modern female life. Beyond fiction, McLaughlin and Kraus have written commentary on women's work and family issues for various publications. As a distinctive voice in contemporary American popular fiction, McLaughlin remains an influential figure whose debut redefined the "chick lit" genre with genuine satirical bite.