Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume

edited by Jennifer O'Connell

As one of many who came of age in the eighties, I am, of course, a huge fan of Judy Blume. Her novels address everything under the sun: bullying, religion, scoliosis, wet dreams, sibling rivalry, and racism, just to name a few.

This collection of essays, written by so-called “chick lit” authors addresses the relevance of Judy’s stories in their own lives. Most of the essays focus on Deenie and Forever, which is disappointing. Blume wrote so many novels; the variety in essay topics could be great. But it is not.

Highlights include:

• Guilty’s House by Jennifer Coburn addresses the issues of white guilt as seen in Iggie’s House,

• Are You There, Margaret? by Alison Pace reflects on the confusing situation of having a Christian parent and a Jewish parent, and

• Superfudged by Cara Lockwood takes a look at the sibling rivalry addressed in Blume’s “Fudge” novels.

Blume’s novels were such a big part of my formative years. I read them over and over and over. I wish that Ms. O’Connell would have chosen better essays (and writers) for this project. This collection does not do justice to Blume’s work.

3/20/11