User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I first read this book in kindergarten. After getting into an argument with the PTA lady running the school book fair about whether or not I could buy the book (I thought she was trying to imply that I couldn't read it, which I found insulting) - an argument that was ultimately settled by a call home to my mom - I brought the book home and read it all on a Friday night. Up past my bedtime, I snuck downstairs, where my parents were entertaining friends, and announced that I had a question about what a period was. Without missing a beat, my mother said "The dot at the end of the sentence." Patronized again, I cried, "I
know what that kind is. I'm talking about the kind Margaret doesn't get until the end of the book!"
This is the stuff family legends are made of. Beyond that, it's a great book, but I sure am glad I don't have to use the contraptions Blume describes within as my feminine hygiene products of choice. Belts? Garters? Yikes.
Rating: really liked it
Isn't it pathetic that as a girl, once you learn about periods, you just can't wait to get one, and then for the rest of your life, you just wish the effers would go away? Except of course, the periods that show up JUST when you need them to- like when one is perhaps a few days late and not super confident in her decision-making skills during the last month. Those periods are probably even better than the satisfaction of that very first one.
Rating: really liked it
What a powerful little book. Sure, it is a coming of age story about a pre-teen girl in the late 1960s, early 1970s, but it feels like a story with lessons and ideas that are important to everyone in any era. I can see why this is on many must read lists.
Simply written – it can be read in one or two sittings. This is a great thing for those looking for a quick and entertaining read in the midst of a busy schedule. No great commitment is required to get through this one. And, you may find more content in 150 pages than you sometimes get in 400 to 500 pages!
Another important element of this book that is very applicable to everyone today is the pressures Margaret goes through – social, religious, relationships, etc. She just wants to live, but people are filling her head with lies and arguments that make it difficult for her to make decisions for herself. All it does is make her miserable. This reminds me of how some people seem to be willing to treat others today (especially with the anonymity of the internet). While it isn’t everyone, it seems like many people like to force their opinions down people’s throats and make them feel bad about their own feelings. Those people don’t consider – or don’t care - how this makes others feel. It makes me very sad! And, it made me very frustrated for Margaret!
Side note related to the comment above: The key plot of the story is Margaret trying to decide which religion she wants to be – if any. I was reading online that this book has been censored and banned in some places because of its take on Christianity. As a Christian myself, this is ridiculous – and the behavior of the Christians in the book is ridiculous. No one should be made to feel bad about exploring what feels comfortable to them and, if they decide one thing over another, that is their choice and no one else’s business. The way she is treated in this book I am not surprised she responds the way she does!
I recommend this book to everyone. I think it will teach us all a lot about how we should treat each other, and it is a good reminder that we are all human, no matter what our differences are.
Rating: really liked it
I was a little scrap of a white girl, growing up, and the daughter of
Midwestern parents as well. Mom and Dad were sheltered, small town people who had been relocated to the subtropics of South Florida and raised their children there. Our family was an island of conservatism and traditionalism among an extremely multicultural sea.
Our quiet, casserole-eating crew had very good manners, and spoke quietly, but we spoke not of feelings, and we deferred always to Dad's opinions. In contrast, our Hispanic, Italian and Jewish neighbors spoke with their hands, and spoke over each other, often giving
kisses and full-bodied hugs as they did so.
I was attracted to the
wildness of these neighbor's homes, and I always felt I'd have developed more of a voice there, among those more boisterous dinner tables. I knew I had an innate sassiness, but I didn't know how to make it emerge, or how to be more authentic to my self.
When I was faced with early puberty, things became even more challenging. How do you tell a silent mother the changes that are occurring within your body, when you've never even met her parents or heard a single story from her childhood and she is as cold and remote to you as the Statue of Liberty??
Well, here is where the school librarian (once again) saved the day by placing
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret in my hands. That woman always seemed to sense my love of books, my silence, and my needs.
And there she was. . . Margaret. Right when I needed her. Margaret, the
Every Girl, the nondescript, skinny white girl with brown hair who struggles with fears of inadequacy and invisibility amongst her peers.
So much about Margaret is tangible. You do not doubt her existence for a moment, and her struggles with faith, family and her fluctuating figure fill her every day with hopes and fears.
Margaret is the only child of a Jewish father and a Christian mother who have denounced their religions as the only acceptable solution to raising a child within this dynamic. Yet, Margaret's beliefs get lost in the shuffle. She loves God and wants to connect more deeply to the Source, but in searching for a deeper spiritual experience, she finds only people who want to manipulate her, to add to the head count at their places of worship.
I loved Margaret as an 11-year-old, and when I introduced her to my 10-year-old this week, I found my daughter felt exactly the same way. It was weird; nothing had really changed. It was still life, adolescence, social politics, love and fear.
It turns out, angst has no expiration date.
My daughter, toward the very end of the read, wrapped her body around a pillow and said, “Mommy, I love this book so much, it makes me feel almost embarrassed.”
Ah, dang it. And I thought I was going to get through this re-read without tears.
Rating: really liked it
During the final round in the 2011 Miss Universe pageant, Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup was asked this question:
”Would you change your religious beliefs to marry the person you love? Why or why not?”
Supsup answered:
”If I had to change my religious beliefs, I will not marry the person that I love. Because the first person that I love is GOD who created me. And I have my faith and my principles. And these what make makes me who I am. And if that person loves me, he should love my God too. Thank you.”
Of course, Supsup at 25, was expected to have a more mature answer than the 11-y/o
Margaret Simon in this Judy Blume’s (born 1938) most popular novel
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Supsup was a architecture board exam topnotcher and a magna cum laude and Margaret was just a 6th grader.
But that beauty pageant question and the main conflict in this book are basically the same. They both put on the table
the value of religion in a person’s life. Supsup does not want to forgo her faith for love’s sake. Margaret is facing the dilemma on which religion to choose: her paternal grandmother’s or her maternal grandmother’s. Supsup is not willing to change her religion just to make her boyfriend happy. Margaret cannot decide which religion to choose because she does not want to displease any of her grandmothers or her parents (interfaith marriage) eventually.
In the end, Supsup was crowned as 3rd runner up in the contest. In the end, *spoiler alert* Margaret gets her first
mens-troo-ation and she is so happy that she resumes talking to her
god (whoever it may be) by uttering her innocent thoughts with this opening
Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret… blah blah.*spoiler ends*
I just stole this book from my 16-y/o daughter’s bookshelves. Well, it is TIME 100 and that was my main motivation. The secondary reason was that some of my GR Filipino friends will join me in my visit to my island hometown this weekend and this book could popup as a topic.
Did I enjoy reading this slim book? As a father of a teenage girl, my answer is a resounding yes. For most parts, as expected, I could not relate to Margaret’s issues. After all, this is a very girlie book as it deals with young girl’s fears, first crush, new girl trying to fit in to her new school and her select friends whose mantra is to make their breasts bigger:
”We must, we must, we must increase our busts." But, while reading Margaret’s thoughts, if I try to imagine what my daughter went through or even still going through, I think this is a worthwhile book to read by any father with a daughter regardless of their age. Our daughters don’t come to us for advice regarding menstruation but we see the used pads in the garbage bin. They don’t ask us to accompany them in their shopping for bra and other apparels but we pay for them. They don’t normally tell us who their boy crushes at school are but we were ones those boys. For those reasons,
hey fathers read this book. For one, I know that many young girls dream of becoming a Miss U but I did not know, until this book, that there could be young girls who because of their dream of having bigger breasts, had to compose and utter some kind of mantra:
”We must, we must, we must increase our busts." So funny :)))
Rating: really liked it
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Judy BlumeMargaret Simon is just eleven, going on twelve, when her family moves from New York City to Farbrook, New Jersey.
Margaret's mother is Christian and her father is Jewish.
Margaret has been raised without an affiliation to either faith, and does not practice an organized religion, although she frequently prays to God in her own words, beginning by saying, "Are you there God? It's me, Margaret."
She is beginning to feel uncomfortable with her lack of a religious affiliation.
For a school assignment, she chooses to study people's religious beliefs, hoping to resolve the question of her own religion in the process.
Part of her study involves attending different places of worship to better understand religious practice and also to see if one of them might be right for her.
She enjoys spending time with her Jewish paternal grandmother, Sylvia Simon, who loves her as she is, and hopes Margaret will embrace Judaism after taking her to her synagogue for Rosh Hashanah services. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز چهاردهم ماه آوریل سال 2016میلادی
عنوان: خدایا آنجایی؟ منم، مارگارت؛ نویسنده: جودی بلوم؛ مترجم: مهری محمودی؛ تهران: نشر قطره، 1394؛ در 141ص؛ شابک9786001198144؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م
کتاب «خدایا آنجایی؟ منم مارگارت» نوشته «جودی بلوم»، نویسنده ی کتابهای کودک و نوجوان، است؛ داستان این کتاب درباره ی دختر دوازده ساله ای به نام «مارگارت» است، که با پدر و مادرش از «نیویورک»، به حومه ی شهر نقل مکان کرده اند، و «مارگارت» برای پیدا کردن دوستتان تازه و سازگاری با محیط استرس دارد؛ «مارگارت» در خانه ی تازه، با دختری به نام «نانسی» دوست هم میشود؛ «نانسی» و دیگر همکلاسیهای «مارگارت» یک گروه چهار پنج نفره را تشکیل میدهند، که «مارگارت» هم در آن عضو است؛ این گروه ماجراهای عجیب و غریبی را رقم میزنند؛ در این داستان «بلوم»، دغدغه های دختران نوجوان، در سن بلوغ را به خوبی بیان میکند، و شیوه های برخورد با این مشکلات را، شرح میدهند؛ دغدغه هایی که شاید هیچگاه در موردشان حرفی زده نمیشود؛ «جودی بلوم» در این کتاب به مسئله ی مذهب و خداپرستی پرداخته است؛ «مارگارت» نسبت به همسنهای خودش یک تفاوت دارد، و آن این است که به هیچ مذهبی تعلق ندارد، چون پدرش «یهودی»، و مادرش «مسیحی» است، و او با اینکه در زمینه ی مذهب، خودش را «هیچکس» معرفی میکند، در پی یافتن «خودش»، و «خدا» است، و در زمانها گوناگون و ساعات شبانه روز، با خدا راز و نیاز، و نجوا میکند، که خدا یاریهای غیبی اش را از او دریغ نکند
نقل از کتاب «خدایا آنجایی؟ منم، مارگارت»: (1: خدایا آن جایی؟ منم، مارگارت؛ امروز اسباب کشی میکنیم؛ خدایا خیلی میترسم؛ خدایا تا حالا هیچ جای دیگری، به جز اینجا زندگی نکرده ام؛ اگر از مدرسه ی جدید بدم بیاید چه؟ اگر آنهاییکه آنجا هستند، از من بدشان بیاید چه؟ خدایا لطفاً کمکم کن؛ نگذار «نیوجرسی» خیلی وحشتناک باشد؛ متشکرم؛ ما روز سه شنبه ی قبل از روز کارگر، اسباب کشی کردیم؛ از لحظه ای که بیدار شدم میدانستم هوا چه طوری است؛ میدانستم، چون دیدم مادرم زیر بغلش را بو میکند؛ او همیشه در هوای گرم و مرطوب همین کار را میکند، تا مطمئن شود هنوز بوی دئودورانتش نرفته است؛ من هنوز دئودورانت استفاده نمیکنم؛ فکر نمیکنم افراد حداقل تا قبل از دوازده سالگی بوی بد بدهند؛ پس هنوز چند ماهی وقت دارم؛ زمانیکه از اردو برگشتم، و فهمیدم که آپارتمانمان در «نیویورک»، به خانواده ی دیگری اجاره داده شده است، و اینکه ما صاحب خانه ی دیگری، در «فاربروکِ نیوجرسی» شده ایم، خیلی متعجب شدم؛ اول اینکه، هرگز در مورد «فاربروک» چیزی نشنیده بودم؛ دوم اینکه معمولاً در تصمیمات مهم خانواده، نادیده گرفته میشوم؛ اما وقتی که اعتراض کردم: «چرا نیوجرسی؟» به من گفتند: «لانگ آیلند» یک شهر خیلی اشرافی، «وستچستر» یک شهر خیلی گران، و «کانکتیکات» شهر نامناسبی است؛ پس، تنها جایی که پدرم میتوانست هر روز به محل کارش در «منهتن» رفت و آمد کند، و من میتوانستم به مدرسه ی دولتی بروم، و مادرم میتوانست گل و گیاه، و درختانی را که همیشه میخواست داشته باشد، «فاربروک نیوجرسی» بود؛ فقط اینکه من هرگز نفهمیدم چرا مادرم به اینها بیش از هر چیزی اهمیت میداد؛ خانه ی جدید در خیابان «مورنینگ برد» است؛ خانه ی بدی نیست؛ قسمتی از آن آجری، و قسمتی دیگر چوبی است؛ پنجره ها و در جلویی، سیاه هستند، یک کلون برنجی خیلی قشنگ هم روی آن است؛ خانه های خیابان جدیدمان خیلی به هم شبیه اند؛ و آنها همه هفت سال ساخت هستند، و درختان هم هفت ساله اند؛ فکر میکنم شهر را به خاطر مامان بزرگم «سیلویا سایمون» ترک کردیم؛ دلیل دیگری برای این اسباب کشی نمیتوانم پیدا کنم؛ مخصوصاً چون مادرم میگوید: «مادربزرگ نفوذ بسیار زیادی روی من دارد.» در خانواده ی ما از کسی پنهان نیست، که مادربزرگ، مرا به اردوی تابستانی، در «نیوهمپشایر» میفرستد؛ و اینکه او با کمال میل، شهریه ی مدرسه ی خصوصی مرا میپردازد (کاری که از این به بعد دیگر انجام نمیدهد، چون به مدرسه ی دولتی خواهم رفت)؛ حتی ژاکتهایی برای من بافته، که برچسبهایی درون آن دوخته شده و روی آن ها نوشته است: بافته شده توسط مادربزرگ...؛ فقط برای تو؛ او این کارها را به خاطر این که فقیر هستیم انجام نمیدهد؛ میدانم که فقیر نیستیم، البته ثروتمند هم نیستیم، ولی حتماً به اندازه ی کافی داریم؛ مخصوصاً که من یکی یک دانه هستم؛ همین خودش خرج غذا و لباس را کم میکند؛ خانواده ای را میشناسم که هفت فرزند دارند، و هنگامیکه به فروشگاه کفش میروند کلی خرج روی دستشان میگذارد؛ مادر و پدرم تصمیم نداشتند که من تک فرزند باشم، ولی شرایط برای اینکار جور نشد، و این به نفع من بوده است، چون کسی دور و برم نیست که بخواهیم با هم دعوا کنیم؛ در هر صورت، فکر میکنم که این اسبابکشی به «نیوجرسی» هم، نقشه ی والدینم برای دور کردن من از مادربزرگم است؛ او ماشین ندارد، و از اتوبوس متنفر است، و فکر میکند که همه ی قطارها کثیف هستند؛ پس چون مامان بزرگ گزینه ای به جز پیاده آمدن ندارد، که این هم غیرممکن است، من او را زیاد نخواهم دید؛ حالا بعضی از بچه ها ممکن است فکر کنند، دیدن یک مادربزرگ چه اهمیتی دارد؛ اما «سیلویا سایمون» با توجه به سنش که اتفاقی فهمیدم شصت ساله است، خیلی شوخ و سرحال است؛ تنها مشکل این است که همیشه از من میپرسد: «آیا دوست پسر دارم و آیا او یهودی است؟» حالا خنده دار اینجاست که اولاً دوست پسری ندارم و ثانیاً اینکه چه اهمیتی دارد که او یهودی باشد یا نباشد؟)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 01/05/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Rating: really liked it
Oh, how I do miss the 1970 edition of this book. Somehow the cute little cover girl of the new edition, what with the sparkling eyes and her head in the clouds, doesn't express the loneliness and contemplative nature of Miss M. in the same way the little girl with lank brown hair and brown knee socks did. And how else can one completely alarm and overwhelm a modern 10-year-old about the mysteries of the pubescent female body
without the mention of the belt?
When I first read the book, not only was I terrified of getting my first period, especially at school, but I thought I at least had the basic mechanics down of all the necessary accoutrement. After reading "Are You There...", a frantic me had to spend 20 minutes in a Walgreens, reassuring myself that this mythical "belt" contraption no longer existed, and was completely unnecessary. And even then, it wasn't until age 12 that I was completely satisfied.
In 2006, they "updated" the book to include the mention of "sanitary napkins" instead of "menstruation belts," and I somehow find that incredibly wrong. "Are You There..." is a phenomenal book, more for Margaret's quest to understand the workings of the life around her (inter-religious household; crazy relatives; despondent fathers; nutty friends; and 15-year-olds who are just too hot to handle), than for her journey through early pubescence. But to fundamentally alter a portion of that journey seems a bit extreme. So what if a curious kid wants to know what a belt is? Most parents, even the young ones, can handle that question. Even I can answer it now!
I just think... "Are You There..." was so much more than the period episode. It was more deftly written than many adult novels I've read. We don't go scrambling to change every work that falls behind the times as far as cultural references are concerned, so why this one? Women didn't start having periods in the 00s, and part of the beauty of the outdatedness of it all was that, for me (after the shock and horror), it reminded me that I was connected to an incomprehensible number of women through history in this one tiny way. And that felt good, as saccharine as that sounds.
Rating: really liked it
I'm feeling very nostalgic today.
I can still remember sitting on the floor in the library and reading this book. One of my favorite authors when I was young.
If I didn't have so much to read I would read it again now. Actually if I can find my box of old books I probably will read it again. I LOVED this book :)
Rating: really liked it
The first thing Margaret asks God is "Don't let New Jersey be too horrible," so you know she's in for a rough time with God. The second thing she asks for is boobs.
What makes Blume so wonderful - well, there are lots of things, but one of them is that she respects her audience, which is specifically 12-year-old girls and no one else. She's tackling big subjects here - puberty and God, so that's half of the entire list of Big Subjects - and she respects their difficulty. Margaret is the product of a mixed marriage - her mom is Christian and her dad is Jewish - and the big debate here is which God, if any, she will choose. Her parents have left the decision to her, which she feels is bullshit. "If I should ever have children," she declares, "I will tell them what religion they are so they can start learning about it at an early age. Twelve is very late to learn." And what I love is that by the end of the book, (view spoiler)
[she's made no decision whatsoever. Blume doesn't offer pat solutions. She just presents the problem: (hide spoiler)] this is hard, isn't it? she says.
She does this throughout the book. Margaret's new best friend Nancy is a mean girl. Blume doesn't exactly tell you this, and there's (arguably) no character arc. She's just there, kindof a bitch. Blume drops hints that the sixth-grade teacher is harboring inappropriate feelings for early-developing Laura Danker, but she leaves it to the reader to decide how seriously to take them. Most dramatically, Margaret's maternal Christian grandparents arrive for a reconciliation, after disowning their daughter when she married a Jew. You expect some resolution; (view spoiler)
[there is none. They suck. They offend everyone - "It's not too late for you, dear!" - and then leave, and that's the end of that. (hide spoiler)] This is hard, right?
But look, no one even remembers any of this shit. What you and/or your girlfriend remember about this book is that it's the first one that talked about boobs and periods, and this is why Judy Blume is one of the great heroes of literature: she takes growing up seriously, which is important because growing up is serious business. Blume doesn't talk down and she doesn't moralize. She wrote this way back in 1970, in the olden days when peoples' dads subscribed to Playboy magazine, and she's still one of the most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century because she dared to approach topics like periods. (And sex and masturbation and other marvelous things.) It's a seminal work for generations. My wife got all giddy with nostalgia when I told her I was reading it.
Which, like, I mentioned that Blume is writing solely for 12-year-old girls, and you might wonder what it's like for a 42-year-old man to read this. Probably not though, because literally who cares, but I'll tell you anyway: it's awkward. On the one hand, we enlightened men should be well past being freaked out by periods, right? And on the other hand, there's a heavy social taboo against adult men being in any way interested in training bras, and some of the reasons for it are good. Let's just say that I often label my Kindle so people on the subway can tell what I'm reading, and this time around I chose not to. And let's also reiterate that no one cares what I think about Judy Blume.
What matters is that, 50 years on, her voice is still clear, universal, non-judgmental, invaluable. "I wanted to be honest," she says. "And I felt that no adult had been honest with me. We didn't have the information we should have had." Here is the honesty and the information. God will not increase your bust and neither will that chant, as Judy Blume is willing to prove in the most likable author interview ever. And New Jersey is horrible.
If you are a parent:There's nothing objectionable in this book. I'm alert to dated gender roles and old-timey bigotry, a la the unfortunate "darkey" poem in Little House in the Big Woods, and there's nothing like that here. You're all good.
If you are a kid and your mom won't let you read this:Your mom sucks. Read it under the covers with a flashlight, or whatever kids use for light these days. Welcome to literature.
Rating: really liked it
One of my favorite books ever when I was younger!! I bought it for my daughter and she loved it too. I think I may re-read it this weekend.
Rating: really liked it
For Margaret, the growing up years are starting off with a myriad of changes. She moves to a new city, attends a new school, makes new friends, maintains a close relationship with her Grandma, and grapples with her lack of a defined religion all while navigating the complexities of the pre-teen years. Margaret is on the cusp of adolescence and all she wants is to fit in and be “normal”.
Judy Blume has done a fantastic job of relating the thoughts and feelings girls experience as they begin to make the transition to adolescence. I'm sure many girls would say that reading this book is like reading their own diary. So much of what Margaret feels and thinks resonates with the reader. A fantastic book that lets girls know that they are not alone in their thoughts and feelings.
Rating: really liked it
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Eeks am I getting behind in posting reviews.
Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret was my final selection for Banned Books Week. I was extremely hesitant to re-read this since it was one of my childhood favorites. I was terrified my trip down memory lane would wind up filled with potholes and other bumps in the road that would lessen my enjoyment. Boy was I wrong! I loved Margaret just as much now as I did back then. Judy Blume was my go-to-gal back in the dark ages and her stuff amazingly stands the test of time. Highly recommended to young girls at that awkward “in between” age when they aren’t quite a kid, but not yet a woman.
Oh, and in case you live in a cave and have never heard of this book before, the subject matter that made it so “controversial” that young humans need to be protected from it????
#snowflakes
Rating: really liked it
Last September, I had the privilege of interviewing Judy Bloom while she celebrated the 50th anniversary of the book, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” When I read this as a young girl, I felt like Judy Bloom was telling me the truth. She was whispering this is what’s to come, you are not alone and you do not need to be perfect. This book gave me so much solace as a child.
Rating: really liked it
A prior warning: This review may not flow accordingly, and may appear to be a hot mess of disjointed sentences and phrases due to my current state of mind. But rest assured, I know what I mean.
I initially picked this book up after reading a negative review from a good friend of mine, and it made me wonder, would I agree with him on his thoughts? The answer to that is yes. I thought this book was somewhat strange, and I'm baffled as to how this is considered to be a classic.
Put it this way, i'm certainly in no hurry to lend it to my daughter.
This is a fairly short book that could potentially be read in one sitting, but only of course, if one has the time, and the willpower. It is based on a preteen named Margaret, who falls into the wrong crowd of girls at her new school. Margaret is a rather pitiful character, that doesn't rise up against peer pressure, instead, she seems to embrace it, is always crying or moaning about something trivial, and really, isn't very likeable.
I found no part of Margaret relatable, especially in comparison to my own experiences as a twelve year old. Margaret and her circle of friends are all in some kind of competition as to who gets their period first. What bull is this? I dreaded getting mine. I was overcome with embarrassment and concern, and now, well, they make my life hell. As for wearing my first bra, I found going shopping with my Mum so uncomfortable, and to be honest, I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I certainly never had to stuff tissue in my bra, though.
The weird chant the girls had going in their meetings where they listed boys they wanted to kiss just took the biscuit.
"I MUST, I MUST, I MUST INCREASE MY BUST"
I mean, really? Must we do such a thing? Is this for ourselves or the greater good of mankind?
Also, I got the overwhelming feeling that their male teacher, is in fact, a pervert. He held his gaze with Margaret too long for my liking, and he enjoyed looking at one of the girls that was an early developer. He also made Margaret feel dreadfully uncomfortable when she stated she hated religious holidays. What might be wrong about that, I ask?
In general, the writing itself is readable, but the plot is disappointing. I just can't see how young girls can pick anything worthwhile out of this book, and for me on a personal level, I find it extremely sad that any twelve year old girl would think that you're suddenly more worthy once you grow breasts and start menstruating, when in reality, life actually gets more complex once you do.
Rating: really liked it
I got to the girl's room before the tears came....Then I walked home slowly by myself.
What was wrong with me anyway? When I was eleven I hardly ever cried. Now anything and everything could start me bawling. I wanted to talk it over with God. But I wasn't about to let him know that, even though I missed him. p144
Someone asked me recently if I would recommend ARE YOU THER GOD? IT'S ME MARGARET for middle grade students, and I didn't know how to answer, even though I had read the book. At first, I only gave this one 2 stars, because there were (and still are) things I didn't like about the characters and narrative.
On completing a second reading, I've come to discover that Judy Blume took issue with all the same things I did. She presented these subjects in as thoughtful a way as she could in her time, considering her audience, and the concerns of those readers' parents.
She writes about young characters grappling with grownup considerations, most of whom are doing so for the first time in their lives--choosing religious faith, ignoring the things your friends say, maturing sexually, wrestling with toxic relationships, coming to terms with your own capacity for cruelty, forgiving yourself, and more.
Some of these issues, the young characters must come to terms with under ironic, satirical circumstances. They need information, but must judge the information they receive for conflicts with their own experiences and interests.
While remaining elegant and subtle in tone, style, and even narrative development, ARE YOU THERE GOD provides young readers an example of how to question authority and think for themselves, to express their own needs and wants to themselves, and to recognize and exercise their own agency.
I would absolutely recommend this book for middlegrade students; it holds many valuable prizes. I'll just have to look past
I must...I must...I must increase my bust! p46
Rating 2 stars; changed to 4 stars
First reading finished February 2022; second reading finished September 2022
Recommended for young readers; teachers looking for curriculum reads; Judy Blume fans; fans of middle grade fiction with a lit fic feel
✔️September Pick 15/18
✔️52 Book Club Summer Genre Challenge: Children's Story
✔️52 Book Club 52 Book Challenge: Award Winning Book from Your Country
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