An Author Study:  Judy Blume

By Randi E Brewer

Children’s Literature—LAE 4416

              

As a child growing up in a large family, I found a way to escape the chaos that surrounded me by immersing myself in books.  I could become so engrossed that the world felt quiet and I found peace.  One of my favorite authors as a child was Judy Blume.  I began reading her anecdotes of “Fudge”, In Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Super Fudge. These first stories were delightful and showed me that many families were as dysfunctional as my own.  Peter, the main character in the Fudge stories, was the oldest brother and constantly felt bothered by his younger siblings.  He also felt left out of a lot of fun because he was no longer the baby.  I could completely understand his plight because I was also the oldest and his stories made me feel better about my own life.

As I got older, Judy Blume’s books guided me through adolescence.  Her books discussed subjects that weren’t brought up in my household.  Stories of menstruation, and development such as “Are you there God, It’s me, Margaret” or bullying in “Blubber” really hit home and helped me through those difficult growing years.  I find that as I look back Ms. Blume’s stories tied me to a world that I didn’t feel part of and helped me through a late blossoming adolescence.

Judy Blume was born Judy Sussman on February 12, 1938 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It has been told that a young Judy Sussman spent most of her youth making up stories in her head.  She stated that she wanted to be many different things when she grew up, but a writer was never one of her imagined future occupations. Ms. Blume graduated High School from Battin High School in 1956. She went to Boston College for a short time, but graduated from New York University in 1961 with a B.S. degree in Education.

According to Judy’s official biography on www.judyblume.com , Ms. Bloom is a “Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year the American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other recognitions include the Library of Congress Living Legends Award and the 2004 National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.”

“She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; the Key West Literary Seminar; and the National Coalition Against Censorship.”

            Judy Blume writes her books about many sensitive subjects, including divorce, religion, body image and even sexuality.  Many of her books have been challenged by school libraries and have been scrutinized for her subject material.  Ms. Blume is an advocate for Anti-Censorship laws. She helped organize an anti-book burning club in the mid 1980’s.  Ms. Blume has stood her ground and her books can be found in 31 different languages, with book sales exceeding 80 million dollars.

Some great Websites for Ms. Blume are:

http://www.judyblume.com/home.php Is Judy Blume’s official website.  It includes a biography, a list of her books and tidbits on each book about what guided her to write that particular story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Blume Is the wiki for Judy Blume, including her biography and a list of her books and accomplishments.

Ms. Bloom’s twitter page: http://twitter.com/#!/judyblume

You will find all important events and personal information regarding Judy Blume on http://www.nndb.com/people/318/000022252/

Some books and novels she has written:

Iggy's House (1970, novel, juvenile)
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (1970, novel, juvenile)
Then Again, Maybe I Won't (1971, novel, juvenile)
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972, novel, juvenile)
Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (1972, novel, juvenile)
Deenie (1973, novel, juvenile)
Blubber (1974, novel, juvenile)
Forever (1976, novel, juvenile)
Wifey (1977, novel)
Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself (1977, novel, juvenile)
Superfudge (1980, novel, juvenile)

Tiger Eyes (1981, novel)
Smart Women (1984, novel)
Fudge-a-mania (1990, novel, juvenile)
Here's to You Rachel Robinson (1993, novel, juvenile)
Summer Sisters (1998, novel)