Opinion: How did Judy Blume's story, 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.' effect readers? [Opinion]
Last year, when I was 11 years old, I found Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” The updated cover drew me in.With Charles III being coronated as its first new sovereign since 1953, what is your view of the British monarchy?
We girls knew well the shelf where the book lived and would furtively grab it to read in the back of the library. I don’t know why we were afraid to sign our names to the check-out card at the back of the book, but I think it came down to shame. We listened to “Free to be You and Me” and were aware of women’s lib and the sexual revolution knocking at the confines of our Connecticut schoolyard walls.
But, oh, how that 11-year-old girl would chafe at the world of 2023. The reproductive rights my mother fought for are under assault. Judy Blume is still being banned. And Florida lawmakers want to keep girls from talking about menstruation in schools, leaving them to think they’re bleeding to death. Something stinks more than cafeteria spinach. Call it shame or misogyny or backward thinking, we lovers of Judy Bloom need to call it out. If I could, I’d go back to sign out the book.
Communication was especially stifling in two main areas: talking to God and talking about girls. At least that was the case in my 1970s and ’80s Irish-Colombian, Catholic household. I believe our country produced generations of women who felt this was a taboo subject. We did them a disservice. Eventually because of Blume, girls started talking openly about their periods, first to each other and then to us.
After the movie, we chatted and reminisced about what the book had meant to each of us. We had all but forgotten that growing up in the ’70s meant topics like getting your period and sex were taboo and mainly spoken of in private. In fifth grade, my elementary school offered a private evening class “Just for Girls” and we attended with eager anticipation of what we would be learning. A couple of boys even tried to dress up as girls so that they could sneak in to hear the coveted information.
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