Growing up in Illinois, Brightman attended and graduated from New Trier High School before enrolling in Vassar College and earning her Master's degree from the University of Chicago.
[8] While living in Maine, Brightman remained connected with her younger sister Candace who worked with the Grateful Dead as their lighting director and literary agent.
[9] This led her to pen her second book, titled Sweet Chaos, which consisted of interviews with the band members, Carolyn Garcia, and Robert Hunter.
[2] Although Sweet Chaos was centered around the Grateful Dead, Brightman also examined the exterior factors which led to the band's popularity, including the Free Speech Movement, Vietnam, the Cuban Revolution, and the Weatherman.
[10] However, Sweet Chaos was occasionally mislisted as “Fat Trip,” a previously rejected title, causing it to be marketed as a diet book.