Judy Blume: Judy Blume

When writer Mark Oppenheimer, a professor and Mellon Fellow of American religious history, went to Yale as an undergraduate, he states that “there was no author, except Shakespeare, whom more of my peers had read” than Judy Blume.  With over 85 million copies of her books sold in 32 languages, Judy Blume is indeed as Caroline Leavitt writes in the NYT, “not just revered but revolutionary.”  

Blume has written books for over fifty years—33 published, a few more buried as she says, and many controversial, making her also one of the top five banned authors of the twentieth century.   She has been dubbed “The Beatles of Banned Books.” In fact, in 1989, when authors gathered at the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library to support Salman Rushdie by reading aloud from ''The Satanic Verses,'' they also read excerpts of Judy Blume.  She has won over 90 literary awards, including a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Library Association’s award for contributions to young adult literature, a Library of Congress Living Legend award, and numerous awards by the National Book Foundation.  Those kinds of distinctions point to her literary contributions, but Judy Blume has touched the lives of her readers as well and is an author both respected and loved like few others. In the past year, I have enjoyed re reading her work and most enjoyably sharing Judy Blume stories with people ranging in age from 10 to 75 (everyone has a Judy Blume story).  You know you have arrived, for example, when you have the same publicist as Stephen Colbert.  Blume may very well be the only person alive interviewed by both the NY Public Library Foundation and pop culture icon Samantha Bee, both of whom are huge fans.  You also know when you can sell a book in the thousands called, simply, “Letters to Judy.” One of her favorites was “Dear Judy, please tell me the facts of life in number order.”  Writing back to kids is so important to her that, long before writers had to think about tweets or clicks, Blume was writing back to thousands of children; in fact, she cares so deeply that she wrote to one particular child from the time the child was twelve until adulthood.  That’s a mark of a great writer and a superior human being.
--
Kelly Morris Roberts, Ph.D.
Professor of English, Meredith College
robertsk@meredith.edu

1. Judy Blume was born on February 12, 1938 in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

2. According to Kathleen Tracy's Judy Blume: A Biography,  Judy Blume had a normal childhood filled with reading any book she wanted; her mom was a homemaker and her dad was a dentist. 

3. Blume was imaginative as a child, always writing stories in her head. It wasn't until adulthood that she started writing them down.

4. According to judyblume.com, "her books have sold more than 85 million copies in 32 languages." 

5. At least six of Blume's books have been banned at one time or another.

6. Because of her passion for authenticity to her readers, Blume serves on the board for National Coalition Against Censorship.

7. Blume earned her degree in education, though she never became a teacher as an occupation (Tracy 13).

8. At New York University, Judy Blume met John Blume who she married the summer after her freshmen year.

9. Judy Blume's father died young, when she was only 21.

10. Blume was pregnant with her first child before graduating college. 

11. Blume simply wrote what she knew and what was true. She never expected controversy until after it came.

12. Blume is the recipient of over 90 literary awards.

13. Two of her books have been made into movies.

14. She has written everything from young children's literature to adult fiction.

15. Blume has two children.

16. Judy Blume divorced John Blume and Thomas Kitchens and is currently married to George Cooper.

17. Sadly, Blume has battled with cervical and breast cancer.

18. After 17 years without publishing a book, Blume published In the Unlikely Event in 2015.

19. Blume's humor and honesty are well-known and beloved.

20. The trail-blazing, talented Judy Blume has written over 33 books, a collection of short stories, and more. Now go explore her work!