Judith Marcia Blume (née Sussman; born February 12, 1938) is an American writer of children's, young adult, and adult fiction. She began writing in 1959 and has published more than 26 novels. Among her best-known works are Superfudge (1980), Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Deenie (1973), Blubber (1974) and Double Fudge (2002). Blume's books have significantly contributed to children's and young adult literature. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.
Blume was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and graduated from New York University in 1961. Seeking to explore a creative outlet that would complement her role as a homemaker, Blume began writing stories. Blume was one of the first young adult authors to write novels focused on such controversial topics as masturbation, menstruation, teen sex, birth control, and death. Her novels have sold over 82 million copies and have been translated into 32 languages.
Blume's novels have been praised for teaching children and young adults about their bodies.Judy Blume: Banned often, but Widely Beloved. NPR, Washington, D.C., 2011. However, in the United States, the topics of her works have generated criticism,The Genius of Judy controversy and she is one of the most frequently banned authors in US schools and libraries. There have been several film adaptations of Blume's novels,Judy Blume Hits the Big Screen with 'Tiger Eyes' Adaptation. NPR, Washington, D.C., 2013. including Tiger Eyes, released in 2012 with Willa Holland starring as Davey, and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., released in 2023. A large collection of her papers is held at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University.
Early life and education Blume was born Judith Marcia Sussman on February 12, 1938, and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey in a Jewish family, the daughter of homemaker Esther Sussman (née Rosenfeld) and dentist Rudolph Sussman. She has a brother, David, who is five years older. Blume described her upbringing as culturally rather than religiously Jewish.Gottlieb, Amy. "JUDY BLUME b. 1938". Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. Jewish Women's Archive (jwa.org). Retrieved December 10, 2010.
Blume witnessed hardships and death throughout her childhood. When she was in third grade, Blume's older brother had a kidney infection that led Blume, her brother, and her mother to temporarily move to Miami Beach to help him recover for two years. Blume's father stayed behind to continue working but flew to Florida monthly to visit the family. Additionally, in 1951 and 1952, there were three airplane crashes in her hometown of Elizabeth (1951 Miami Airlines C-46 crash, American Airlines Flight 6780, and National Airlines Flight 101). A total of 121 people died in these crashes, and Blume's father, who was a dentist, helped to identify the unrecognizable remains. Blume says that she "buried" these memories until she began writing her 2015 novel In the Unlikely Event, the plot of which revolves around the crashes.Brown, Helen. "In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume, review: 'a slice of life'", The Guardian, June 2, 2015.
Throughout her childhood, Blume was actively involved in many creative activities such as dance and piano. Blume has recalled spending much of her childhood creating stories in her head. Despite the love of stories, Blume did not dream of being a writer growing up as middle-class white women like her were encouraged to marry and have children.
She graduated from the all-girls' Battin High School in 1956 and enrolled in Boston University. A few weeks into the first semester, she was diagnosed with mononucleosis and took a leave from school. She later transferred to New York University, where she lived in a dormitory on Washington Square Park. In 1959, Blume's father died suddenly of a heart attack. One month after her father's death, on August 15, 1959, she married lawyer John M. Blume, whom she had met through college friends. Blume graduated from New York University in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in early education. The Blumes lived in New York City prior to having children.
Career A lifelong avid reader, Blume first began writing through New York University courses when her children were attending preschool.Goldblatt, Jennifer. "Blume's Day", The New York Times, November 14, 2004. Accessed October 1, 2015. "It wasn't until after Ms. Blume had gotten her bachelor's degree in education from New York University in 1961, was married and raising her son, Larry, and her daughter, Randy, and living in Plainfield and later Scotch Plains, that she started to commit her stories and characters to paper, cramming writing sessions in while the children were at preschool and at play." Following two years of publisher rejections, Blume published her first book, The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo, in 1969.Singh, Aditi. "The Legendary Author Judy Blume." Home News Tribune, May 27, 2009. followed by her second book, Iggie's House (1970), which was adapted from a story she wrote for Trailblazer magazine. The decade that followed proved to be her most prolific, with 13 more books being published. Her third book, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970), was a breakthrough best-seller and a trailblazing novel in young adult literature and established Blume as a leading voice in young adult literature. Some of Blume's other novels during the decade include Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (1972), and Blubber (1974). Through 2000. Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, copyright 2002.
In 1975, Blume published Forever, which depicted teen sex as normal. Blume explained that she was inspired to write this novel when her daughter, 13 years old at the time, said she wanted to read a book where the characters have sex but do not die afterward.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]." San Francisco Chronicle (pre-1997 Fulltext), August 12, 1985, p. 15. These novels tackled complex subjects such as family conflict, bullying, body image, and sexuality. Blume has expressed that she writes about these subjects, particularly sexuality, because it is what she believes children need to know about and was what she wondered about as a child.
In addition to writing for younger audiences, Blume published works for adults, including Wifey (1978) and Smart Women (1983) which reached the top of The New York Times Best Seller list. Blume's third adult novel, Summer Sisters (1998), was widely praised and sold more than three million copies.Lopez, Kathryn Jean (September 30, 2000). "Early Blumers: In defense of censorship". National Review Online Weekend. National Review. Despite its popularity, Summer Sisters (1998) faced a lot of criticism for its sexual content and inclusion of homosexual themes. Several of Blume's books appear on the list of top all-time bestselling children's books. As of 2020, her books have sold over 82 million copies and they have been translated into 32 languages. Although Blume has not published a novel since 2015 (In the Unlikely Event), she continues to write. In October 2017, Yale University acquired Blume's archive, which included some unpublished early work.
As well as writing, Blume has been an activist against the banning of books in the United States. In the 1980s, when her books started facing censorship and controversy, she began reaching out to other writers, as well as teachers and librarians, to join the fight against censorship. This led Blume to join the National Coalition Against Censorship which aims to protect the freedom to read. As of 2020, Blume is still a board member for the National Coalition Against Censorship. She is also the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. Blume serves on the board for other organizations such as the Authors Guild; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; and the Key West Literary Seminar.
Reception Blume's novels have been read by millions and have flourished throughout generations.Judy Blume: Banned often, but Widely Beloved. NPR, Washington, D.C., 2011 . 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. Her first-person narrative writing has gained positive appraisal for its relatability and its ability to discuss difficult subjects without judgment or harshness. Following the publishing of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970), Blume received many letters from young girls telling her how much they loved the book and identified with Margaret. Female novelists have praised Blume for her “taboo-trampling” literature that left readers feeling like they learned something about their bodies from reading her books.Allan, Susan. "The Blume Generation; are You there Judy Blume? it's Me, a Middle- Aged Woman: [Final Edition]." The Ottawa Citizen, September 8, 2007, p. K6. For example, Deenie (1973) explained masturbation and Forever (1975) taught young women about losing their virginity. Blume's children's books have also been praised for their delicate way of portraying the hardships that kids can face at a young age.Oppenheimer, Mark. "Why Judy Blume Endures." New York Times Book Review, Nov 16, 1997, pp. 44. It’s Not the End of the World (1972) helped many kids understand divorce and the Fudge book series explored the various aspects of loving siblings despite the rivalry.
Blume's novels have received much criticism and controversy. Parents, librarians, book critics, and political groups have wanted her books to be banned.Gay, Andrews D.. “Judy Blume; children's author in A grown-up controversy.” The Christian Science Monitor, Dec 10, 1981. When her first books were published in the 1970s, Blume has recalled facing little censorship. Since 1980, Blume's novels have been a central topic of controversy in young adult literature.Blume, Judy, and Linda Richards. "January Interview: Judy Blume." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 325, Gale, 2012. Gale Literature Resource Center, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1100109219/LitRC?u=wash43584&sid=LitRC&xid=311dcdb7 . Accessed 16 Nov. 2020. Originally published in January Magazine, 1998. 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. Five of Blume's books were included in the American Library Association (ALA) list of the top 100 most banned books of the 1990s, with Forever (1975) in seventh place. Forever is censored for its inclusion of teen sex and birth control.“Judy Blume.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Judy-Blume Blume recalls that the principal of her children's elementary school would not put Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret in the library because the story involves menstruation. Conservative and religious groups continuously attempt to ban Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret for the novel's portrayal of a young girl going through puberty claiming that it violates certain religious views. Blume's children's novels have also been criticized for these reasons, especially Blubber (1974), which many believed sent the message to readers that kids could do wrong and not face punishment.
Media adaptations