When thinking about children’s literature, it is impossible to overlook or overstate the accomplishments and influence of Judy Blume. The author of more than 25 books, including those for children, teens and adults, Blume changed the storytelling and publishing landscape for young readers and remains both controversial and beloved. In THE GENIUS OF JUDY, Rachelle Bergstein explores Blume’s books and impact over the many decades of her career. Along the way, she shares the biographical details that influenced Blume’s writing and the ways in which she reflected and changed American culture.

"Insightful and thoughtful, THE GENIUS OF JUDY is a fantastic companion to Blume’s books and a fascinating look at American culture through literature."

Blume was born Judith Sussman in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1938. She was aware of the expectations put on her by her middle-class Jewish family, especially those of her mother, Essie. Blume was encouraged to pursue her education but to be prepared to give up career plans in favor of marriage and motherhood. It turns out she was married to John Blume and pregnant with their daughter, Randy, even before she graduated from NYU in 1961. And it wasn’t until after her son, Larry, was born that she published her first book, THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE IS A GREEN KANGAROO, in 1969.

Blume’s debut came at a time of rapid cultural change in the US. Even as she began to contribute to the canon of kids books, she herself was inspired by books published by feminist writers such as Betty Friedan and Kate Millett. The themes found there, combined with Blume’s own beliefs about children’s development and the honesty that adults owe them, inform key aspects of her work and help contextualize her oeuvre. The timeline of her career parallels the milestones of her life and how she asserted herself personally and professionally.

THE GENIUS OF JUDY is organized thematically, with chapters examining moments in Blume’s life, relevant cultural realities, and the ideas that she presents and explores in her books. From the lives of preteen girls in the seminal ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET, to virginity and pleasure in books like the oft-banned FOREVER, to familial strife and divorce in JUST AS LONG AS WE’RE TOGETHER, Blume was at the forefront of writing stories that reflected real life for young readers --- one that is messy, confusing and frustrating, and full of love, sex, humor and discovery.

Bergstein draws on previous biographies of Blume, as well as interviews and Blume’s own nonfiction writing, to provide the personal details that help create her beliefs and philosophies and the moments in her life that shaped her characters, literary ideas and plots. She also offers some solid and well-explained perspective of time, place, narrative, and public reception and response. Her discussion of book banning and the role of librarians in children’s literature and as champions of various freedoms is especially important and interesting.

There are no shocking revelations or innovative analysis here. Bergstein allows Blume’s life and work to speak for itself and encourages readers to go beyond nostalgia toward an understanding of what she was able to achieve through her writing. Insightful and thoughtful, THE GENIUS OF JUDY is a fantastic companion to Blume’s books and a fascinating look at American culture through literature.