Judy Blume
Author
Born: February 12, 1938, in Elizabeth, New Jersey
New Jersey Hall of Fame, Class of 2010: Arts & Entertainment
Judy Blume started writing to entertain herself. Her work ended up entertaining and enlightening millions of readers around the world.
Blume was born Judith Sussman, the daughter of a dentist father and a homemaker mother. Growing up in Elizabeth she developed a love of reading and passed much of her time making up stories in her head. Years later she told New Jersey Monthly, “The greatest thing my parents gave me was that they were both readers and I had the freedom to read.”
Blume graduated from New York University in 1961 with a degree in education. Married as an undergraduate to John Blume, she began a family almost immediately after completing college. Her daughter was born in 1961; a son followed in 1963. Blume began writing when her children were in pre-school. Her first book, a children’s novel called “The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo,” was published in 1969.
During the 1970s, 13 Blume works hit bookstores; most were written for the children’s or young-adult markets. Among the titles was her breakthrough bestseller “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” published in 1970. “Margaret” was unusual—and controversial–in dealing with a range of serious topics, including adolescent anxiety, teen sexuality, and religious identity.
Despite some criticism, Blume continued to write frankly about sensitive subjects, from birth control to bullying to body image. Her 1975 young-adult title “Forever” deals explicitly with teenage sex; it became a frequent target of censorship. The criticism of her work turned Blume into an outspoken advocate for intellectual freedom. For many years, she served on the board of the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Blume was steadfast in writing about concerns that were rarely tackled by others aiming at the youth market. She also wrote four books for adults. Her novels “Wifey” (1978); “Smart Women” (1983); and “Summer Sisters” (1998) each sold millions of copies, engaging audiences with themes of extra-marital sex, divorce, and homosexuality.
Blume took an entirely different approach with her fourth and most-recent adult novel, “In the Unlikely Event” (2015). In the book, Blume recreates the startling, real-life events of her childhood, when, in the winter of 1951-1952, three fatal plane crashes occurred near her Elizabeth home. The series of tragedies has haunted Blume all her life. “I can close my eyes and I’m there, I can see it,” she told New Jersey Monthly at the time of the book’s publication.
In fact, New Jersey serves as the background for many of Blume’s novels. “My first books are all set in New Jersey, a place I knew so well, I didn’t even have to think about it,” she said at her New Jersey Hall of Fame induction.
While her books remain targets for censorship and have been banned in some localities, Blume is widely respected in the literary world for her groundbreaking work, bringing mature, relatable content to young audiences. Her many honors include a Library of Congress Living Legends award; the National Book Foundation’s Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters; and the American Library Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Blume has sold more than 80 million books in more than 30 languages.