An intimate and expansive look at Judy Blume’s life, work, and cultural impact, focusing on her most iconic—and controversial—young adult novels, from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret to Blubber.
Everyone knows Judy Blume.
Her books have garnered her fans of all ages for decades and sold tens of millions of copies. But why were people so drawn to them? And why are we still talking about them now in the 21st century?
In The Genius of Judy, her remarkable story is revealed as never before, beginning with her as a mother of two searching for purpose outside of her home in 1960s suburban New Jersey. The books she wrote starred regular children with genuine thoughts and problems. But behind those deceptively simple tales, Blume explored the pillars of the growing women’s rights movement, in which girls and women were entitled to careers, bodily autonomy, fulfilling relationships, and even sexual pleasure. Blume wasn’t trying to be a revolutionary—she just wanted to tell honest stories—but in doing so, she created a cohesive, culture-altering vision of modern adolescence.
Blume’s bravery provoked backlash, making her the country’s most-banned author in the mid-1980s. Thankfully, her works withstood those culture wars and it’s no coincidence that Blume has resurfaced as a cultural touchstone now. Young girls are still cat-called, sex education curricula are getting dismissed as pornography, and entire shelves of libraries are being banned. As we face these challenges, it’s only natural we look to Blume, the grand dame of so-called dirty books. This is the story of how a housewife became a groundbreaking artist, and how generations of empowered fans are her legacy, today more than ever.
Introduction
If you grew up in a certain era, Judy Blume was one of the authors you read without question. Everyone knew who she was and knew her stories. She was omnipresent. Sadly, she's not as available anymore, but her story is still a fascinating one.
Plot Summary
This is a non fiction book describing Judy's life and most important works, placed against the background of society at the time. It's a brilliant read.
Writing Style
Rachelle uses an easy to follow style, though she does tend to jump around in time - a story from Judy's childhood will be used to illustrate why she chose a certain topic or plot point, which leads to her timeline getting rather jumbled. It's not a huge issue but I did occasionally have to stop and remind myself 'this happened before that but after the other...'
Themes and Messages
Judy wasn't writing to deliberately shock or thrill people; she wanted her teen characters to reflect the real teens she saw around her every day, including her own two, and the worlds they were living in, rather than the moral-filled stories that were common before that. Readers responded to her teens who :gasp: were curious about sex! Had crushes! Even touched themselves! The literary world at the time wasn't prepared to admit such things existed, and Judy was the forerunner of more honest and open writing.
Strengths
- Simple style
- Easy to read
- Interesting view of a very different time
Weaknesses
- Occasionally the timeline jumped a bit
- There are a lot of other authors and people to keep track of
Personal Connection
It's an interesting read, watching Judy crack open the literary world - and how parents reacted by beginning the book bans we're still struggling with today. Hearing how readers reacted to her makes it worth it, though.
Conclusion
A really interesting look at one of the most popular authors out there; her books captured a time period and for many readers they were the most important reads of their adolescence.
The Genius of Judy publishes on the 16th July, 2024. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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