THANK YOU, JUDY BLUME

It is the fiftieth anniversary of the book, Are you there God, It’s Me Margaret, by Judy Blume. I read this book when I was ten or eleven which rewinds the days of my life to 1975/76. This book was the first prepubescent book I read that made me realize that self doubt was actually a normal feeling and I was not alone. And for some reason the concept of not being alone led me to not feeling alone and this gave me a sense of comfort.

this was the cover of the copy I read

I didn’t fully realize the magnitude of this early lesson until this morning actually, when I reflected back to the time I read the book. But in reminding myself of this book’s place in my life, I realized that it pointed me in the right direction. It helped settle my busy and very hormonal little mind.

Margaret, a twelve year old who was born to Christian and Jewish parents, oddly, a controversial topic for its time, had just moved to a new town. She regularly wrote to God in her diary with endless questions and commentary on the daily workings of her own mind. She was curious about her body, breast size, body shape, her period, her friends, boys, self worth and validation and all of the other hot topics of her time.

This book helped me along the path of self discovery reminding me that all of the feelings I had swelling and simmering from one thought to another were NORMAL. I was not alone.