Thursday, December 16, 2010

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - Judy Blume


Title: Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret
Author: Judy Blume
Publisher: Atheneum Books
ISBN: 0-689-84158-2
Copyright: 1970
Pages: 149

Quick Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It: I have an ongoing project to read protested or censored books. This classic by Judy Blume made a lot of banned lists.

Where I Obtained the Book:
I got this at my local library

Synopsis: Margaret Simon has a lot of things to think about--making friends in a new school, boys and dances and parties, growing physically "normal" and choosing a religion. "With sensitivity and humor, Judy Blume has captured the joys, fears, and uncertainties that surround a girl approaching adolescence.
Review: First of all I am not the target audience for this book. The story of a young girl yearning for adulthood, and dealing with her competitive friends, finding God, and judgmental adults. I am 0 for 4 on those criteria.
I will say that Blume does an excellent job of presenting the struggles of a young girl going through puberty. I can only guess that people have a problem with her forthright manner presenting this material. Plus Margaret’s indifference to religion might be disconcerting to some, especially given the overzealous in-laws are the bad guys specifically because of their brand of Christianity.
In the end the one common link is I do happen to have a 10 year old daughter. I will have no problem sharing this book with her next year.


Author Biography: Judy Blume is considered one of the world's best-known writers for young adults. She was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1938. She earned a degree in education. Blume has written over 20 books. Titles such as "Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret", "Then Again, Maybe I Won't", and "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" are widely recognized. Her books have sold over 50 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Blume has received more than 100 awards.

Other Reviews:
Finding a current review of a 40 year old book isn’t very easy, but I did find a web-site that has a good overall informational review of the book.
Also, Wikipedia
FYI: Jamie Lee Curtis does a reading from the book at Forbidden Fruit 2005.


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