Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume Review
The title says it all. There aren't too many women out here that do not agree. At least one of her books made a girl feel normal. You may have even thought that Judy Blume was writing about you through at least one of her characters.
Over twenty of the most popular female authors pay tribute to Judy Blume by offering their personal experiences. This collection of 24 essays will bring up memories of how Judy Blume had an effect on your childhood growing up. The common books discussed were "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret," "Forever," "Deenie," and my personal favorite "Just As Long As We're Together."
I remember wishing for a bigger bust-size just like Margaret. "I must, I must, I must increase my bust" was a daily chant. And I remember the time in the 4th grade when my best friend felt jealous because I befriended someone else. Our confrontation was almost identical to Stephanie and Rachel's.
"You can have more than one best friend at a time."
"No, you can't."
"Why not?"
"Because best means best."
In the end, we came to a compromise. We're still true friends to this very day.
Judy Blume had a story for everything a girl could possibly go through: religion, parents divorcing, friendships, relationships, sexual desires, and more. Her coming-of-age stories helped us through those times. Even now as an adult, I think back to the lessons she taught me. I agree 110% that everything I needed to know about being a girl I learned from Judy Blume.
February 14, 2010
L Marie
Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume Overview
"I wonder if Judy Blume really knows how many girls' lives she affected. I wonder if she knows that at least one of her books made a grown woman finally feel like she'd been a normal girl all along. . . ."
-- FROM
Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from
Judy Blume
Whether laughing to tears reading Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great or clamoring for more unmistakable "me too!" moments in Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, girls all over the world have been touched by Judy Blume's poignant coming-of-age stories. Now, in this anthology of essays, twenty-four notable female authors write straight from the heart about the unforgettable novels that left an indelible mark on their childhoods and still influence them today. After growing up from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing into Smart Women, these writers pay tribute, through their reflections and most cherished memories, to one of the most beloved authors of all time.
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Customer Reviews
Beware the mediocre "Chick Lit" parade of writers - book_worm_chick - IL, USA
The first half of the book is good. The rest of the book suffers from a lack of editing. The essays expand from succinct and meaningful to all out therapy sessions with lesser-known authors who are (not surprisingly) all divorced after boring the reader with 20 pages recapturing their youth, how their parents messed them up, and how that ultimately contributed to divorce(s). Oddly enough, most of these authors write "Chick lit"*. Go figure.
This would have been much better as a slim 100 pager instead of adding the subpar essays to make it have a thicker presence on the book shelf.
I guess it's one saving grace is it allowed me to compile a list of Judy Blume books I missed in my youth so I can read them as an adult.
*Intentional quotations. I do not consider anything of the "Chick Lit" genre to be anything even close to literature. In fact, I'm renaming the genre Female Narcissist Pulp Fiction.
Judy Blume strikes again - Theresa Burckley - Cherry Hill, NJ
Judy Blume has been an author whom I have read since I was a teenager (I am now 55). I purchased this book for my neighbor and best friend's daughter and highly recommend it to all mothers of teenage girls.
Chick lit true confessions more than Judy Blume admiration! - Suzanne Amara - MA
This book did something surprising to me---it made me feel very old! I am not really VERY old yet, although my teenager might think so, but I guess I am old enough so the Chick Lit style of writing doesn't really appeal to me. Most of the essays here are written in that style---they are very centered on the feelings and experiences of the writer, and most of the writers seem convinced that their own thoughts and feelings and childhood family are quite fascinating. Almost every essay follows the same path---telling about a childhood experience and then telling how they read a Judy Blume book and it made them realize they weren't alone in what they were feeling.
My friends and I read plenty of Judy Blume growing up too, and I admire her as a writer. However, we didn't really read her because she mirrored our own lives. Her characters live in a pretty small world, really---suburban,fairly well-to-do families. It's the world she herself knows, and she writes about it very, very well. It didn't really interact much with the world we lived in, in rural Maine, mostly in families that struggled with money. Although of course some issues of childhood are universal, I think the book would have been more powerful if we heard from some authors who lived a life UNLIKE those of the characters in Blume's books. Maybe that is what I find I don't like about chick lit type books also. Although they probably don't think so, the writers and the characters usually share membership in a pretty exclusive club---suburban or urban professionals or the children of such!
I don't meant to knock this book. I think if I had lived that life or if I lived it now, and if a Judy Blume book had been a real guide to life for me, I would love reading about others like myself. And if you did, you probably will enjoy this book a great deal.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 08, 2010 20:08:04
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