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McDowell was born on March 14, 1985, in
Washington, D.C., to Gayle L. (née McDowell) Prousalis and Thomas T. Prousalis, Jr., a prominent Washington, D.C., securities attorney and former decorated Air Force fighter pilot. McDowell had a privileged upbringing as the middle of three sisters, and the
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about mass incarceration in
America. Additionally, she is involved with the non-profit InsideOUT Writers (a creative writing organization for incarcerated youth), and POPS (an LA-based non-profit that provides support for kids and teens with family members in prison).
136:. Less than a month after McDowell's op-ed was initially published, publishing houses expressed interest in McDowell writing a book about the events of her life, her father's legal troubles, and her subsequent downward spiral.
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magazine wrote that it was "a brutally honest, cautionary tale about one family's destruction in the wake of the Wall Street implosion." The book was listed as a must-read in publications and digital journals including the
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family resided in the wealthy
Washington, D.C., suburb of McLean, Virginia around the corner from "Hickory Hill," the well-known Kennedy Estate. McDowell was an honors graduate of
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100:, but did not graduate, withdrawing from the university after her freshman year due to her father's legal troubles, resulting in her family's financial collapse.
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In the years since her author debut, McDowell has become an advocate for restorative justice and criminal justice reform. McDowell is the co-producer (with
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168:. In interviews, McDowell has discussed the transformative power of writing and how crafting her memoir was a form of catharsis.
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op-ed went viral receiving more than 3.7 million page views and generating international coverage, including a piece in
147:, details her family's implosion and her personal experience with poverty, depression, drug addiction, and redemption.
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79:(born March 14, 1985) is an American author, actress, and filmmaker, best known for her debut novel,
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518:"'Open Letter To The Makers Of 'The Wolf Of Wall Street' Writer Christina McDowell Gets Book Deal"
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for glorifying greed and "psychopathic behavior" that destroyed families like her own. Her
460:"The Woman Who Stood Up to The Wolf of Wall Street Has a Memoir About Her Downward Spiral"
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429:"An Open Letter to the Makers of The Wolf of Wall Street, and the Wolf Himself"
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624:"Inside the Washington, D.C. High-Society Clique Secretly Running the World"
485:"The Wolf of Wall Street criticized for 'glorifying psychopathic behaviour'"
397:"Their family ties were defined by money. Suddenly, the money was gone"
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l a private school in suburban
Washington, D.C. McDowell attended
599:"After Perfect -- Christina McDowell Rediscovers Wealth and Worth"
778:"Interview with Christina McDowell, author of After Perfect"
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On
December 26, 2013, McDowell penned an op-ed for the
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Bliss, Beauty, and Beyond: Bachelorette
Poolside Picks
347:"After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir | IndieBound.org"
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Brit and Co: 15 Must Read Books Coming Out This June
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723:"Christina McDowell on Her Life After Perfect"
319:"'Wolf of Wall Street' Victim Signs Book Deal"
182:, was released by Simon and Schuster in 2020.
699:"The 15 Must-Read Books Coming Out This June"
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371:"The Story Teller: Christina McDowell '03"
98:Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles
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573:"A Conversation with Christina McDowell"
23:Christina Grace (nee Prousalis) McDowell
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546:"After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir"
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858:21st-century American women writers
752:"Casino Masquerade to Support POPS"
843:Loyola Marymount University alumni
674:After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir
671:McDowell, Christina (2016-04-19).
597:Palmer, Nancy Doyle (2015-06-01).
544:Meyers, Laura Marie (2015-06-15).
375:St. Andrew's Episcopal School - MD
206:Season's Best Biography and Memoir
69:https://www.christinamcdowell.com/
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194:15 Books You Need to Read in 2015
848:21st-century American memoirists
833:Filmmakers from Washington, D.C.
180:high society in Washington, D.C.
94:St Andrew's Episcopal High Schoo
828:Novelists from Washington, D.C.
818:21st-century American novelists
733:from the original on 2016-04-03
516:Andreeva, Nellie (2014-02-03).
112:criticizing the Hollywood film
577:Spirit of Story | Karin Gutman
212:Twelve Best Summer Beach Books
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838:American women film directors
652:digitalissue.villagevoice.com
458:Farabee, Mindy (2015-07-21).
395:Loftus, Lauren (2015-07-13).
648:"Village Voice 0729 Page 13"
250:dog named Zelda Fitzgerald.
231:) of the 2018 documentary,
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622:Rathe, Adam (2021-05-26).
234:Survivor's Guide to Prison
853:American women memoirists
483:Child, Ben (2013-12-30).
33:Christina Grace Prousalis
823:American women novelists
171:McDowell's second book,
115:The Wolf of Wall Street
677:. Simon and Schuster.
550:POPSUGAR Entertainment
323:The Hollywood Reporter
246:McDowell owns a small
39:Washington, D.C., U.S.
756:The Good Men Project
299:Simon & Schuster
295:"Christina McDowell"
271:"Christina McDowell"
186:Awards and accolades
776:anna (2015-07-20).
628:Town & Country
351:www.indiebound.org
192:The Village Voice:
77:Christina McDowell
579:. 20 October 2018
325:. 4 February 2014
120:Leonardo DiCaprio
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254:References
223:Other work
160:, Oprah's
87:Early life
703:Brit + Co
497:0261-3077
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433:LA Weekly
409:0190-8286
198:PopSugar:
139:Her 2015
128:LA Weekly
110:LA Weekly
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522:Deadline
248:Havanese
178:, about
158:PopSugar
104:Writing
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