Geraldine Brooks, born in Sydney on September 14, 1955, is an acclaimed Australian-American journalist and novelist. Brooks grew up in the Western suburbs of Sydney, and pursued her education at Bethlehem College Ashfield and the University of Sydney. Her journalistic career commenced at The Sydney Morning Herald, where she spent three years as a feature writer with a keen focus on environmental issues.

In 1982, Brooks was honored with the Greg Shackleton Australian News Correspondents scholarship, facilitating her studies in the journalism master’s program at Columbia University in New York City. She later joined The Wall Street Journal, covering significant crises across the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans. Brooks' literary talent was globally recognized in 2006 when she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction for her novel March.