This Jewish American Heritage Month, Federation is proud to spotlight the local Jewish leaders and innovators who are also featured in the current issue of the Jewish Journal. First up, we cast a spotlight on Dr. Sandra Block, author and physician.
For Dr. Sandra Block, writing has always been a part of her life. She jokes, “I always wanted to be a writer, so I became a neurologist.” Her first memories of writing date back to childhood, when even her elementary school poetry hinted at a natural storyteller’s instinct. During her medical residency in Buffalo, she completed her first novel, Scalpel. Looking back, she’s candid about its flaws, but she recognizes it now as an essential beginning. Her focus on career and family took precedence for a while, but the pull of storytelling never disappeared. Around age forty, Sandra recommitted herself to writing, producing stronger work that quickly found an agent and a publishing deal. “The rest, as they say, is history,” she notes. In many ways, her writing life grew alongside her life in Buffalo.
When asked about her favorite novel, Sandra compares it to asking who your favorite child is. She singles out Little Black Lies as especially meaningful. The book introduced Zoe Goldman, a character who would earn Sandra a publishing deal, a New York Times review and the book was a finalist for an International Thrillers Award. Zoe was an influential character that opened doors for Sandra in the publishing world.
Sandra draws inspiration from fellow Jewish writers Pam Jenoff and Lisa Barr. “They are both proudly Jewish, and write proudly Jewish fiction, when that is not always easy in a post-October 7th world.” Both Jenoff and Barr were in a women’s writers’ group that Sandra still belongs to. “They showed me that if you keep writing, you can have great success, even if it takes a while. You may still be able to reach a lot of people, and touch a lot of lives.”
Her Jewish heritage informs both her career path and her writing. A drive to achieve led her into medicine, while a fascination with the brain shapes her fiction, where neurological and mental health themes often play central roles. Characters in Sandra’s books are frequently Jewish by default, an intentional act of representation in a literary landscape where Jewish voices are still underrepresented.
Ultimately, Sandra hopes her story and her work inspire others “to take a chance and not given up on your dream, whatever that is. I hope that Jews, as well as people with mental challenges, see themselves in my books,” she says, “and feel helped, even just a little.”
Sandra A. Block is a practicing neurologist, proud Sabres fan, and award-recognized author based in Western New York. Balancing medicine and writing, she crafts psychologically rich thrillers that explore identity, mental health and resilience. Her newest novel, The Bachelorette Party, is out now.
