M. G. Lord is an acclaimed cultural critic and investigative journalist. She is the author of the widely praised books Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll and Astro Turf: The Private Life of Rocket Science. Since 1995 she has been a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review and the Times’s Arts & Leisure section. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New Yorker, Vogue, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and ArtForum. Before becoming a freelance writer, Lord was a syndicated political cartoonist and a columnist for Newsday. She teaches at the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles.