The Girl’s Guide to Guts: Chloe Melas and Judy Batalion on Ulcerative Colitis

Los Angeles Times
Nov. 11, 2026

For 15 years, Chloe Melas has been living with ulcerative colitis while working as a journalist. “That means on any given day there could be blood in my stool,” Melas, an entertainment correspondent at NBC News, told LA Times Studios in written answers in August 2026.

She and Judy Batalion, a New York Times bestselling author with a PhD from the University of London, have written The Girl’s Guide to Guts: Everything Your Doc Didn’t Tell You (But Your Bestie Would). The Dial Press publishes it in hardcover on Nov. 10, 2026. Both women have ulcerative colitis, and the book is their account of living with it, alongside interviews with experts.