“Be careful what you wish for. I know it for a fact. Wishes are brutal and unforgiving things. They burn your tongue as soon as they are spoken and you will never be able to take them back. »-Alice Hoffman (Alice Hoffman Quotes, 2014). Alice Hoffman was born on March 16, 1952 in New York, New York. She grew up on Long Island, New York and graduated from high school in 1969 (Biography, 2014). Her parents divorced when she was young, but they both worked and attended college, and outside of their neighborhood, they were the only ones attending college (O'Hara, 2014). Alice Hoffman attended two different colleges while studying. She attended Adelphi University and the Creative Writing Center at Stanford University. While attending Adelphi University, Hoffman earned degrees in English and Anthropology (Skylight Confessions Interview, 2014). Then, at the age of 21, she continued her studies at Stanford University on a Mirrellees scholarship and earned a master's degree in creative writing (Biography, 2014). Also, at the age of 21, Alice Hoffman wrote her first book, Property Of (Biography: Alice Hoffman, 2014). Alice Hoffman now lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband and two sons. Alice Hoffman is also a breast cancer survivor, which greatly influences her writing, and in 1999 she donated the money she earned from her Local Girls story to build the Hoffman Breast Center. The center is located at Mt. Auburn Hospital, in Cambridge, MA (Meet the Writers: Alice Hoffman, 2014). For this reason, Alice Hoffman's writing is influenced by her phobias and the tragedies she experiences. Alice Hoffman has had many different people or situations influence her writing. Author Grace Paley was one of the Al...... middle of paper ......esandnoble.com/writers/writerdetails.asp?cid=698183O'Hara, M. (February 23, 2014). About Alice Hoffman: A Profile. Retrieved February 23, 2014 from PLOUGHSHARES: www.pshares.org/read/article-detail.cfm?intArticleID=7739Shapiro, H. (1988, September 12). PEOPLE. Retrieved February 23, 2014 from Facing her fears about AIDS was a risk-filled act for novelist Alice Hoffman: www.people.com/people/article/0,,20099905,00.htmlInterview with Skylight Confessions. (February 23, 2014). Retrieved February 23, 2014 from Alice Hoffman: http://alicehoffman.com/books/skylight-confessions/interview/Survival Lessons. (February 23, 2014). Retrieved February 23, 2014 from Good Reads: www.goodreads.com/books/show/17850559-survival-lessonsThe Dovekeepers Synopsis. (February 23, 2014). Retrieved February 23, 2014 from Alice Hoffman: alicehoffman.com/books/the-dovekeepers/synopsis