This interview originally appeared in the November 2001 issue of Writer's Digest. Such parental anxiety is all too familiar to Blume. She has spent her adult years in many places, doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on. In the midst of this second adolescence, Blume published her first novel for adults. Superfudge is a children's novel written by Judy Blume first published in 1980. Welcome to Judy Blume's Key West You can build an entire vacation around a bookstore like hers By Meredith Goldstein Globe Staff, Updated February 3, 2022, 10:00 a.m. Blum is still unaware of whether she equated Communism with religion or menstruation which are the . Blume published her first book, The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo, in 1969. Isnt that great? Blumes steadfast nonjudgmentalism, a feature of all her fiction, is part of what has so irritated her critics. Yet Blumes titles are still the subjects of attempted bans. [33][34] A year later, Blume published her second book, Iggie's House (1970), which was originally written as a story in Trailblazer magazine but then rewritten by Blume into a book. Premium . At one end of the apartment is a large office where Blume and one of her assistants work when shes not at the bookstore. Despite, or perhaps because of, the censorship, Blume was, in the early 80s, at the peak of her commercial success. Several Blume fans I talked with remembered this aspect of the novel far better than I did. Author Series. It's Me, Margaret. After spending a day in the Beineckes reading room, I began to see Blume as a latter-day catcher in the rye, attempting to rescue one kid after the next before it was too late. But nostalgia alone seems insufficient to account for Blumes wide readership; parents can only influence their kids taste so much. Blume remembers one girl who said she had the razor blades ready to go. The kids wrote in their best handwriting, in blue ink or pencil, on stationery adorned with cartoon characters or paper torn out of a notebook. It is the first in the Fudge series and was followed by Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, Superfudge, Fudge-a-Mania, and Double Fudge (2002). Usually, Blume told me, she sleeps with the balcony door open so she can hear the waves, though shes terrified of thunderstorms, so much so that she used to retreat into a closet when they arrived. [43] Parents, librarians, book critics, and political groups have wanted her books to be banned. My father told me the correct way to say it. She fears that if they found out about her private prayers, theyd think I was some kind of religious fanatic or something. Much to their chagrin, she attends synagogue with her grandmother and church with her friends. [5] Are You There God? I know I cant but thats how I feel. [17], She graduated from the all-girls' Battin High School in 1956, then enrolled in Boston University. Judith Blume (ne Sussman; born February 12, 1938) is an American writer of children's, young adult and adult fiction. But 20 years later is about when I encountered the books, when my first-grade teacher pressed a vintage copy of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing into my hands in the school library one day. Generations later, and with redesigned covers, Judy Blume books still have so much to offer to readers of all ages. Judy Blume was a young housewife herself, with children of her own, when she came to writing. Her books no longer land on the American Library Associations Top 10 Most Challenged Books list, which is now crowded with novels featuring queer and trans protagonists. [17], Blume's novels have been read by millions and have flourished throughout generations. Some of them, of course, are. I recently went back to that school to speak with the librarian, who is still there. She told me she'd read 72 books about writing but she still couldn't do it. Its protagonist, 10-year-old Sally, is smart, curious, and observant, occasionally in ways that get her into trouble. [64] It has an expected theatrical release date of April 28, 2023.[65]. [23], In August 2012, Blume announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer after undergoing a routine ultrasound before leaving for a five-week trip to Italy. Clear rating. Like Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes. Blume told me that Margaret is really about her own experience growing up in the 50s; she just happened to publish it in 1970. A portion of these sales surely comes from parents who buy the books in the hope that their kids will love them as much as they did. In this Section Judy's Official Bio Photo Gallery How I Became an Author Questions for Judy Contact Judy Usually, though, she avoids making recommendations in the young-adult sectionnot because of the kids so much as their hovering parents. Im not trying to get pity, a typical 11-year-old wrote. A new generation discovers the poet laureate of puberty. I reread Judy Blume's book with my 12-year-old and was surprised by how current it still is. Her correspondence with some kids lasted years. Judy Blume turned 83 last month. Her body is changing, still. Many of us remember her from our teen years, but she has also written for children and for adults. They got married in 1987, to celebrate their 50th birthdays. I shouldnt have been surprised by how easy it was to confide in Blume. [55] The series starred Jake Richardson as Peter Warren Hatcher, the storyteller, and Luke Tarsitano as Farley Drexel "Fudge" Hatcher. Here was Judy Blume, the author who gave us some of American literatures most memorable first periods, wet dreams, and desperate preteen bargains with God, calmly and empathetically letting me know that an unwelcome bodily development was nothing to be ashamed of or frightened bythat it was, in fact, something that had happened to her body too. Hadnt she been understanding right from the start. When I visited, she was still recovering from a bout of pneumonitis, a side effect of a drug shed been prescribed to treat persistent urinary-tract infections. [35], In 1975, Blume published the now frequently banned novel Forever, which was groundbreaking in young adult literature as the first novel to display teen sex as normal. In April, the director Kelly Fremon Craigs film adaptation of Blumes 1970 novel Are You There God? Preteens arent the only ones in this movie figuring out who they are, and what kind of person they want to become. [13] Her family was culturally Jewish. With the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, the number of book censors rapidly grew. Hi AmyIts Judy in Key West, she wrote. [26] She has one child, Elliot Kephart, who is credited with encouraging his grandmother, Judy Blume, to write the most recent "Fudge" books. The Judy Blume Diary Letters to Judy: What Kids Wish They Could Tell You The Judy Blume Memory Book Short Story Collections Judy Blume Masterclass Review 2023 About Judy Blume MasterClass "Don't give up and don't listen to everyone in life because no one knows what you are capable of." A beautiful line that Judy says creates a huge impact on your mind. Blume and Cooper were married in 1987. Blume believes, by contrast, that grown-ups who underestimate childrens intelligence and ability to comprehend do so at their own riskthat childhood innocence is little more than a pleasing story adults tell themselves, and that loss of innocence doesnt have to be tragic. [17] She is also the founder and trustee of a charitable and education foundation, called The Kids Fund. Thats what people say when they cant explain something to you, Karen thinks. By the end of the film, Barbara has quit the PTA. (Hager and her twin, Barbara Pierce Bush, have said that Summer Sisters is the book that taught them about sex.) Im very glad to hear that Uncle Jack got the seed planted at last. What Sally really wants to know is how you got the baby made.. Judith Blume ( ne Sussman; born February 12, 1938) is an American writer of children's, young adult and adult fiction. . The books that will never be read. [10] The ALA has named Blume as one of the most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century. The first novels she felt she could identify with were Maud Hart Lovelaces Betsy-Tacy books. It had been months since shed felt up to riding her bikea cruiser with bright polka dots painted by a local artistor been able to walk at quite the pace she once did (though our morning walk was, in my estimation, pretty brisk). Much as she had wanted to help the thousands of kids who wrote to her, kids who badly needed her wisdom and her care, Blume was not Holden Caulfield. The enjoyment of sexuality should go for your whole lifeif you want it to, Blume told the writer Jami Attenberg, in a 2022 conversation at the Key West Literary Seminar. For her part, Blume believes that kids are their own best censors. Judy Blume is an American author who has published nearly 30 books for children and young adults as well as adults. For more than 50 years, Blume has been a beloved and trusted guide to children who are baffled or terrified or elated by what is happening to them, and are trying to make sense of it, whether it has to do with friendship, love, sex, envy, sibling rivalry, breast size (too small, too large), religion, race, class, death, or dermatology. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is a children's novel written by American author Judy Blume and published in 1972. I put on the hat. [23] Critics of Blume's novels say that she places too much emphasis on the physical and sexual sides of growing up, ignoring the development of morals and emotional maturity. I didnt want to frighten you, her mother replied. This condo has thick hurricane glass that lessens the noise, and now, with a good eye mask, Blume can bear to wait out a storm. She had a product endorsement to share with the audience: George had given her a sex toy, the Womanizer, and it was fabulous. I think we were on some drug, obviously.), Margaret was not a young-adult book, because there was no such thing in 1970. She married her first husband, a lawyer named John Blume, while she was still in college. 967K subscribers Judy Blume broke the rules. Shes happily back at her easel. Blumes 1977 novel, Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself, is based on this time in her life. If you grew up in the United States, you must know who Judy Blume is. Being raised without religion made me feel like such an oddball, Jones told me. But Joanne said that nothing makes someone seem older than having to ask What? all the time, and Blume, a few weeks into using her first pair, was glad shed listened to Joanne. "The Legendary Author Judy Blume.". As always, young readers will be the real . In the real world, kids and teenagers throw up and jerk off and fall in love; they have fantasies and fights, and they dont always buy what their parents have taught them about God. It is an incongruous revelation. I got my first email from Blume two weeks before my trip. She learned that there was power in language, in knowing how to speak about ones body in straightforward, accurate terms. They now own a pair of conjoined condos right on the beach, in a 1980s building whose pink shutters and stucco arches didnt prepare me for the sleek, airy space theyve created inside, filled with art and books and comfortable places to read while watching the ocean. Credo Reference, Coburn, Randy S. "A Best-Selling but Much-Censored Author / from Sex to Scoliosis, Judy Blume's Frank Topics are both Favored and Feared: [FINAL Edition].". Her brother, David, four years her senior, was a loner who was supposed to be a genius but struggled in school. Its protagonist, Nadine, is an angsty teen who has recently lost her father and feels like her mom doesnt get her. But kids are still kids, trying to figure out who they are and what they believe in. The next day I went to the doctor and I told him that I also had it in my pubic hair. Blume turned purple saying the words, but the doctor was unfazed. Please write soon and let me know how its going.. She plays Wordle every day using the same first and second words: TOILE and SAUCY. Some are pressing dog-eared paperbacks into their kids hands; others are calling her agent. It's Me, Margaret," which is currently being made into a feature film, "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing," "Forever" and four New York Times bestsellers . Clocking in at 97 minutes, Judy Blume Forever doesn't cover every title in Blume's personal library, but the directors say they devoted one of their shooting days to a book-by-book discussion . He found the questions it raised about faith mind-blowing. I think in some ways it really created my stance of being apart from organized religion, he told me. [20] Shortly after her separation, she met Thomas A. Kitchens, a physicist. I . (Blume had it cateredno reason to have anxiety dreams about serving food on a day like that.) Gale Literature Resource Center, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1100109219/LitRC?u=wash43584&sid=LitRC&xid=311dcdb7 . She implied that the subjects these authors take onchildhood cancer, police violence, gun violencemake the adolescent angst of Blumes books feel somewhat less urgent by comparison. 10 Questions with Judy Blume . They convinced Blume that Margaret could work on the screen. I suggested that instead of reading books about writing, she read the best books she could find, the books that would inspire her to write as well as she could. (The book stuck with him long after grade school; Shteyngart recalled repeating its famous chantI must, I must, I must increase my bust!with a group of female friends at a rave in New York in the 90s. When she would describe the project to friends and colleagues, theyd nod and say, Oh, letters from deeply troubled kids. Blume corrected them. "[8][18] In 2018, Blume and her husband opened a non-profit book store called Books & Books located in Key West. Swann, Christopher. Did I need a ride from the airport? I was not writing for teenagers. She was writing, as she saw it, for kids on the cusp.. It's Me, Margaret' movie", "See Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates in Are You There God? Whats really shocking, one Bethesda mother told The Washington Post, is that there is no moral tone to the book. But the thing is, the conservative blowback wasn't wrong. I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all, Holden Caulfield tells his younger sister in J. D. Salingers novel: Perhaps, through these letters, Blume had managed to live out Caulfields impossible fantasy. The protagonists grandmother, a lawyer in Manhattan, bears more than a passing resemblance to her creator, mailing her granddaughter pamphlets from Planned Parenthood and offering to talk whenever she wants. Two giants of children's literature never got the chance to meet. But being a Scotch Plains housewife gave her stomach painsa physical manifestation, she later said, of her discontent. The New York Daily News once referred to her as Miss Lonelyhearts, Mister Rogers and Dr. Ruth rolled into one. In the 1980s, she received 2,000 letters every month from devoted readers. [3], Blume was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and graduated from New York University in 1961. it's Me, a Middle- Aged Woman: [Final Edition]. Fudgeand his long-suffering older brother, Peter. The Fudge Series is a collection of four books written by Judy Blume between 1972 and 2002 about a relationship between 9-year-old Peter and his little 2-year-old brother Farley "Fudge" Hatcher. It just got to be too much. She was unhappy in Los Alamos, which felt like Stepford, but she kept writing. They addressed themes and issues other books I was reading at the . [43] The element in her work readers are said to love most is Blume's openness and honesty regarding issues like divorce, sexuality, puberty, and bullying. [38] Wifey became a bestseller with over 4 million copies sold. I just never did. But in the meantime, Blume had still been writing more of her honest and dangerous . "Judy Blume 'Stronger' After Cancer Surgery. [38] As of 2020, her books have sold over 82 million copies and they have been translated into 32 languages. [42][50] In 2004 she received the annual Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Medal of the National Book Foundation for her enrichment of American literary heritage. Blume has granted the rights to producer James L.. It's Me, Margaret established Blume as a leading voice in young adult literature. Nowadays, when she has lunch with her childhood friends Mary and Joanne, with whom shes stayed close, the three talk about things like hearing aids, which Mary had recently argued should be avoided because they make one seem old. In Deenie and Blubber, two middle-grade novels from the 70s, Blume depicts the cruelty that kids can show one another, particularly when it comes to bodily differences (physical disability, fatness). Her mother, Esther, didnt work. One teenage girl came to New York, where Blume and Cooper had moved from New Mexico, for a weekend visit (they took her to see A Chorus Line; she wasnt impressed). When she was 14 and still hadnt gotten her period, Esther picked her up from school one day and brought her to a gynecologists office. ", Oppenheimer, Mark. Blume sent in a draft of Iggies House, a chapter book about what happens when a Black family, the Garbers, moves into 11-year-old Winnies all-white neighborhood. Blume says she "buried" these memories until she began writing her 2015 novel In the Unlikely Event, the plot of which revolves around the crashes. Blume, now 84, has officially retired from writing. Who better to go through a bedbug scare with? [42] This led Blume to join the National Coalition Against Censorship which aims to protect the freedom to read. What happens to a creative kid who grows up? She listened as I ran down the list, asking questions and making reassuring comments. Still a slip of a thing, with barely tamed curls a credible chestnut, Blume is nestled in the corner of a low-slung couch in her sunny, book-lined apartment that takes in a wide sweep of Central . I figured that if the creatures had hitched a ride from my hotel room, as I suspected, the courteousif mortifyingthing to do would be to warn Blume that some might have stowed away in her upholstery, too. The book is dedicated to Randy, then 14, who had asked her mother to write a story about two nice kids who have sex without either of them having to die. Forever got passed around at sleepovers and gained a cult following; it is a book that women in their 50s can still recite the raciest page numbers from (85 comes up a lot). When Margaret came out, the principal of Blumes kids school didnt want it in the library; he thought elementary-school girls were too young to read about periods. However, Judy Blume is someone who has been writing books for young . He called and sang Love Is the Drug over the phone (Blume thought he was singing Love is a bug). Her new adult novel, In the Unlikely Event, is irresistible, inspired by real life events in the early 1950s when a succession of airplanes crashed over a year period in Judy's hometown of . There are some things that are very hard for children to understand, an aunt tells 12-year-old Karen. Blume and Cooper came here on a whim in the 1990s, during another New York winter, when Blume was trying to finish Summer Sisters. If you didn't, the name may still sound familiar, especially if you are interested in banned books. Last year, the Brevard County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a right-wing group based in Florida, sought to have Forever taken off public-school shelves there (the novel tells the story of two high-school seniors who fall in love, have sex, andspoilerdo not stay together forever). The Newark Star-Ledger's headline that one of the rest areas along the Garden State Parkway was recently . Judy Blume started writing during her mid-twenties when she was stuck at home with her two small children. You still going to write the same kinds of books, books essentially for children. It was the late 1960s. [7][9], Blume's novels are popular and widely admired. She is married with three children and one grandchild. What were adults so afraid of? Yet Blumes books remain popular. Get our editors guide to what matters in the world, delivered to your inbox everyweekday. Some letter-writers ask for dating advice; others detail the means by which they are planning to kill themselves. Blume spent God knows how long making elaborate decorations for dinner partiesfor a pink-and-green-themed evening in Paris, she created a sparkling scene on the playroom wall complete with the River Seine and a woman selling crepe-paper flowers from a cart. . [47] Forever is censored for its inclusion of teen sex and birth control. Here are 21 Judy Blume books that should be in your classroom library and other banned books that kids should read before they leave high school. I want to be like everyone else.) But reading the book again, I was reminded that it is also a thoughtful, at times profound meditation on what it means to define your own relationship to religious faith. Posted by Danielle N. Barr Danielle Barr is the director of social strategy at WeAreTeachers and feels strongly about supporting all educators. -from Judy's website. [8][18], After college, Blume's daughter Randy Lee Blume was born and Blume became a homemaker. Blume later recalled that the doctor barely spoke to her at all. She felt that her mother, in particular, expected perfection. [19] In 1963, she gave birth to her son, Lawrence Andrew Blume. It was still banned in the United States. [16] Blume attributes her love of reading as a trait passed on by her parents. [48] The ALA Margaret A. Edwards Award recognizes one author who has made significant contributions to young adult literature. This story appears in the April 2023 print edition. Judy Blume (Goodreads Author), Irene Trivas (Illustrator) really liked it 4.00 avg rating 2,226 ratings published 1974 25 editions. Shes miserable. [42] Blume also received the 2017 E.B. After a few days, I had no new bites. Blume's books have significantly contributed to children's and young adult literature. Now that Blumes books seem relatively quaint, I asked my former librarian, can anyone who wants to check them out? Beloved author Judy Blume's latest book and (supposedly) final tour Over 50-plus years, Blume produced more than 28 books. When they ask how she knows those things, she told Esther, you say, I dont know, but not from me!. Best for: Anyone looking to make a career in child/young adult fiction. Im supposed to be five four. What I want is someone to tell me, Youll live through this. I thought you could be that person.. Cooper showed his daughter the four names on the list. The major themes of Blumes work are all present in Iggies House: parents who believe they can protect their kids from everything bad in the world by not talking to them about it, and kids who know better; families attempting to reconcile their personal value systems with shifting cultural norms. 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