Pamela Druckerman is a journalist, writer, and documentarian. Besides Bringing Up Bébé, she has written the nonfiction books Lust in Translation (2007), French Children Don’t Throw Food (2012), There Are No Grown Ups (2018), and children’s book Paris by Phone (2021). 

Druckerman wrote Bringing Up Bébé when she moved to Paris, France, to be with her now-husband Simon. In France, Druckerman experienced severe culture shock. Upon having her daughter, Bean, Druckerman observed that French parents have a different approach to raising children, which seems to lead to calmer, happier, and more well-rounded children. Druckerman made it her mission to document what distinguishes French parenting from the American style, driven by “a blend of journalistic curiosity and maternal desperation” (7).

As a first-time mother, Druckerman made the effort to talk to as many people as possible about their views on parenting, interviewing French and American mothers and fathers, as well as various childrearing experts. Druckerman also performed extensive research on statistical data and research studies to back up her anecdotal observations.

Druckerman is a mother dedicated to raising autonomous, open, and agreeable children. She worked hard to implement French strategies she was not used to, including techniques like letting Bean cry it out at night, refraining from letting her snack throughout the day, and forgiving the occasional small act of misbehavior.