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Biography Judy Blume was born on February 12, 1938 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Her parents, Rudolf and Esther Sussman, brought her up in Jewish traditions. They sent her to an all girls’ public high school, which she later learned to appreciate. Blume says that she began writing when she was very young "I was always a writer, but the stories were just in my head. I used to make them up as a kid bouncing a ball against the wall. I never wrote them down". When Blume was a junior at New York University she married John L. Blume on August 15, 1959. By the time she reached the age of 25 she had two children, a girl and a boy. The girl, Randy Lee, was the reason she wrote Forever, and her son is Lawrence Andrew. She divorced from John Blume in 1975 and later married George Cooper (her third marriage) on June 6, 1987. From this marriage she gained a step-daughter Amanda. Judy Blume’s first book was an illustrated children’s book called The One in the Middle is a Green Kangaroo. She didn’t receive any awards for this book but since this publication she has won over ninety awards including the Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement Award, Outstanding Book of the Year (New York Times), Books for the Teenage (New York Public Library), Best Book for Young Adults (School Library Journal), and the Civil Liberties Award (American Civil Liberties Union of Atlanta, Georgia). Her books have sold over 70 million copies and in more than 20 different languages. Blume’s most recent book, Summer Sisters is a huge success and was on New York Times number one bestseller list. Her Jewish upbringing inspired her to write one of her most controversial books Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret which is about the coming of age of a girl who is growing up in a half-Jewish and half-Christian home. The story goes through puberty and her struggles with religion. What most readers like about Blume’s writing is that she is non-judgmental and doesn’t state what is right and wrong but what is normal. Her writing is so controversial that five of her books appeared on the American Library Association 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999. Blubber was fourth on the list in 1999 “for offensive language…unsuited to the age group”. Judy Blume’s novel, Forever, is ranked seventh on the list for “use of explicit images and the fact that her character Kathy goes on the pill.” She takes her readers through the trial and tribulations of a girl’s first sexual experience. Because so many of Blume’s books have been challenged, she has become an active spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Censorship. She also has a huge fan base and receives thousands of letters a month from teenagers asking her for advice. This inspired her to write Letters to Judy Blume. It is about her personal experiences from the topics that fans write to her about, asking for advice. Judy Blume is as successful today as she was back in the 1970s. She is most appreciated for her non-judgmental style and writing about controversial issues that people must deal with everyday. |
