There’s so much to love about Judy Blume, and a very particular nostalgia that comes up for us whenever we think back on her books. We’re not just talking about the middle grade tales like Freckle Juice and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (though these are absolute national treasures). Sure, her coming-of-age novels broke many a mold and normalized so much of what young people go through. But Judy didn’t stop there!
Inspired by the new book The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us by Rachelle Bergstein (a fabulous read you’ll undoubtedly devour, by the way!), we’re thinking back on the novels Judy wrote as her core audience navigated midlife. After you dive deeper into the life of Judy and all she means to contemporary culture, we recommend a quick binge of her grown-up novels.
The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us
by Rachelle Bergstein
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.
Wifey
by Judy Blume
With more than four million copies sold, Wifey is Judy Blume's hilarious, moving tale of a woman who trades in her conventional wifely duties for her wildest fantasies – and learns a lot about life along the way.
Sandy Pressman is a nice suburban wife whose boredom is getting the best of her. She could be making friends at the club, like her husband keeps encouraging her to do. Or working on her golf game. Or getting her hair done.
But for some reason, these things don't interest her as much as the naked man on the motorcycle . . .
Smart Women
by Judy Blume
Two thirtysomethings try to find their way through the complications of post-marriage love in this beloved novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Judy Blume.
Margo and B. B. are each divorced, and each is trying to reinvent her life in Colorado – while their respective teenage daughters look on with a mixture of humor and horror. But even smart women sometimes have a lot to learn – and they will, when B. B.'s ex-husband moves in next door to Margo . . .
Summer Sisters
by Judy Blume
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY - "Summer Sisters is a book to return to again and again." –Colleen Hoover
“As warm as a summer breeze blowing through your hair, as nostalgic as James Taylor singing 'How Sweet It Is.' You remember. So does Judy Blume. How sweet it was.” –Chicago Tribune
In the summer of 1977, Victoria Leonard's world changes forever when Caitlin Somers chooses her as a friend. Dazzling, reckless Caitlin welcomes Vix into the heart of her sprawling, eccentric family, opening doors to a world of unimaginable privilege, sweeping her away to vacations on Martha's Vineyard, an enchanting place where the two friends become "summer sisters."
Now, years later, Vix is working in New York City. Caitlin is getting married on the Vineyard. And the early magic of their long, complicated friendship has faded. But Caitlin begs Vix to come to her wedding, to be her maid of honor. And Vix knows that she will go – because she wants to understand what happened during that last shattering summer. And, after all these years, she needs to know why her best friend – her summer sister – still has the power to break her heart.
In the Unlikely Event
by Judy Blume
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - The author of Are you There God? It's Me, Margaret returns with an adult novel that takes us back to the 1950s and introduces us to the town where she herself grew up, where a community is left reeling after a real-life tragedy when a series of airplanes fell out of the sky.
"Makes us feel the pure shock and wonder of living. . . . Judy Blume isn't just revered, she's revolutionary." –The New York Times Book Review
"No one captures coming-of-age milestones . . . like Blume." –The Boston Globe
Here she imagines and weaves together a vivid portrait of three generations of families, friends, and strangers, whose lives are profoundly changed during one winter. At the center of an extraordinary cast of characters are fifteen-year-old Miri Ammerman and her spirited single mother, Rusty. Their warm and resonant stories are set against the backdrop of an extraordinary real-world tragedy.
Gripping, authentic, and unforgettable, In the Unlikely Event has all the hallmarks of this renowned author's deft narrative magic.