Blume, Judy

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BLUME, Judy

Born 12 February 1938, Elizabeth, New Jersey

Daughter of Rudolph and Esther Rosenfeld Sussman; married John Blume, 1959 (divorced); Thomas Kitchens, 1976 (divorced); George Cooper, 1987; children: Randy Lee, Lawrence Andrew.

Best known for her realistic fiction for adolescents, Judy Blume is one of the most popular authors in the contemporary history of children's books. She creates frank, straightforward stories that focus characteristically on the immediate social and emotional concerns of her mainly female characters. Her taboo-breaking books address topics like menstruation, wet dreams, and premarital sex, but Blume also writes of friendship, divorce, peer group approval, religion, and death. Blume's books accurately, honestly, and with great earnestness capture the speech, emotions, and private thoughts of adolescents.

Blume received a B.A. from New York University (1960). Her earliest books were the result of her participation in a graduate writing course. The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo (1969), a picture book, involves a second grader who feels neglected by his family until he lands a part in his school play. Iggie's House (1970) deals with the impact of a black family moving into an all-white neighborhood. When both books met a cool reception from reviewers, Blume decided to write a book about adolescence based on her vivid memories of her own sixth grade experience. The resulting book, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (1970), explores a young girl's private thoughts about the onset of menstruation, her acceptance by a new peer group, and her struggle to find a religion. Blume's almost complete recall of how it felt to be young spoke directly to readers and the book was immediately successful. Although it stirred some controversy among parents, librarians, and teachers for its unflinchingly honest treatment of a topic like menstruation, the book made Blume's reputation: hundreds of letters from preteen girls attested to the fact that they identified with Margaret.

Blume's books address subjects that children's books tend to disregard, leading critics to label her an issue-oriented author, an author of "problem novels." Despite her critics, Blume believes there is nothing one should not or cannot tell a child. "I don't care about rules and regulations of writing for children," Blume has commented. "My responsibility to be honest with my readers is my strongest motivation." Many of Blume's books are about coping with difficult situations. Told in the first person, they foster a strong sense of intimacy and immediacy, convincing the reader Blume writes the truth about what kids think and feel. Then Again, Maybe I Won't (1971) deals with a twelve-year-old's budding sexual identity; It's Not the End of the World (1972) documents the effects of divorce on a preteen girl; in Deenie (1973) a seventh grader copes with scoliosis; while Blubber (1974) is the story of a fat girl who becomes the target of ridicule in her class. Forever (1975), a book consistently placed on censored lists, explicitly details the joy and frustration of a first sexual relationship; a young girl in Tiger Eyes (1981) struggles to overcome grief after her father's violent death; and Just as Long as We're Together (1987) depicts teenage girls grappling with friendship and other issues.

Blume leavens the seriousness of her often heavy-handed "problem" books with humorous dialogue and wit, while her books for younger readers include humor in the broad, sometimes slapstick manner many kids find so appealing. Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing (1972) and Superfudge (1980) relate the hilarious stories of ten-year-old Peter and the antics of his mischievous little brother Fudge. Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (1972), a story of overcoming fears, delights with its funny verbal sparring and the outrageous lies children tell to impress each other. Fudgea-Mania (1990) features Peter as well as Sheila Tubman, otherwise known as "Sheila the Great." While their families share a summer vacation house, Peter and Sheila have great fun being enemies. The popularity of the Fudge and Sheila books led to a television series on ABC (1994-96) and CBS (1997). Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing had sold more than six million copies by 1996, making it the third highest-selling children's trade paperback. It also was staged by the Kennedy Center for a national tour beginning in 1998.

In her career as an author of children's books, Blume has achieved both unprecedented popularity and fierce criticism, primarily for the content of her books rather than their execution. Reviewers have commended her for her close observation of childhood, for the honesty and lack of condescension with which she writes, for her warm sense of humor, and for her courage in breaking taboos and convention. Her critics cite flawed character development, permissive attitudes, the use of issues as starting points for creative writing, uninhibited language, thin narrative, and a lack of social consciousness. Most agree, however, that she has made reading easy and agreeable for many children. Her ability to communicate with her audience has endeared her to a loyal readership, and she receives thousands of letters a month from them. The most moving of these are collected in Letters to Judy (1986). On her website (www.judyblume.com), Blume encourages readers and fans to leave her messages and offers information about her books and their creation.

Blume has also written books for adults, some of whom may have first discovered her as children reading her books. Summer Sisters (1998) traces the friendship between dissimilar women during 20 summers, beginning when they are twelve-year-old girls, while Smart Women (1983) explores the complicated relationships among two divorced friends and their teenage daughters when one woman falls in love with her friend's ex-husband. Wifey (1978) was Blume's first novel for adults.

The sensitive, often controversial themes of Blume's children's books have not dampened their popularity but have limited their use in the classroom and restricted their presence in some libraries. Criticism of her books has been softened by society's greater openness to discussions about adolescent sexuality and peer relationships since her first books were published in the early 1970s. In 1996 Bloom received the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement. She remains an active spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Censorship, is the founder and trustee of the charitable and educational foundation Kids Fund, and is a board member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. By 1998 her books had been translated into 20 languages and had sold more than 65 million copies.

Other Works:

Freckle Juice (1971). Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself (1977). The Judy Blume Diary (1981). The Pain and the Great One (1984). The Judy Blume Memory Book (1988). Here's To You, Rachel Robinson (1993).

Bibliography:

Rees, D., ed., The Marble in the Water (1980). Smith, S. N., "Father Doesn't Know Best Anymore: Realism and the Parent in the Junior Works of Judy Blume, E. L. Konigsburg, and Richard Peck" (thesis, 1981).