was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in comparative literature. America Is Not the Heart is her debut novel, and was named one of the best books of 2018 by NPR, Real Simple, Literary Hub, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Post, Kirkus Reviews, the New York Public Library, and more. It has been nominated for the Elle Award, the Center for Fiction Prize, the Aspen Words Prize, the Northern California Independent Booksellers Book Award, and the California Book Award. Instagram: @_elainecastillo