Evan Mandery was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in East Meadow, Long Island. He is the author of two novels, Dreaming of Gwen Stefani and First Contact (Or It's Later Than You Think), two works of non-fiction: The Campaign, a memoir of the 1997 New York City mayoral campaign, and Capital Punishment, an introduction to the major debates on the death penalty.

Evan is a professor at the City University of New York. He is an avid poker player and golfer. He lives in Forest Hills, New York, with his wife, Valli Rajah-Mandery, a sociologist, and their three children.