I found this book to be a well researched and deeply engaging exploration of Judy Blume's life and literary legacy, revealing her courage in addressing taboo subjects with authenticity. As I delved into her story, I felt a personal connection to Blume's journey, realizing the enduring relevance of her work in empowering readers like myself to navigate societal challenges with resilience and understanding.

This is a well-written and well-researched book. I absolutely loved Judy Blume when I was a kid. My 4th grade teacher introduced our class to Blume by reading "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" during reading time. After that, I became obsessed with reading ALL of her middle and young adult novels. I still love "SuperFudge", "Fudge-A-Mania", "Freckle Juice" and "Are You There..." to this day. I didn't realize Judy Blume's books were such hot button issues in '80s (the decade I discovered Blume). You can tell Rachelle Bergstein has a love and fondness for Blue. The writing was excellent. I knew I was going to like this book when I read the synopsis. This book brought back all the nostalgic vibes for me. If you were a fan of Blume growing up (especially Gen Xers and Millennials), then you will enjoy this. The cover art is so retro and cool.

You never forget your first. Mine was “Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself.”

It came to me as a hand-me-down in a big garbage bag full of books being passed on from the girls, five to ten years older than I was, who lived in the apartment upstairs from us. My mother, normally a bit protective of the sort of TV, movies, and music that I was exposed to, nevertheless supported me reading anything and everything that I had the desire and ability to read (thanks, mom!). And so it was through these big bags of preloved books, unvetted and uncensored, that Judy Blume entered my life.

I was excited to read “The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us”, because I really do think that it’s telling that I can clearly recall, all these years later, the specific circumstances of my first exposure to Judy Blume’s writing; it was important enough, formative enough, that it’s stuck with me over decades. I can’t remember consciously absorbing the ‘deeper’ stuff as a kid, but I do remember that Blume’s books felt different, in a way I couldn’t articulate then. And that is, mostly, the crux of “The Genius of Judy.”

In “The Genius of Judy,” we are essentially taken back and forth between discussion of Judy’s books, the ways in which they uniquely resonated with children when compared to traditional children’s literature, and particularly the more controversial elements of them; and biographical snippets about what was going on in Judy’s own life at the time she was writing them. Unfortunately, my opinion is that the book ultimately suffers for being split up in this way: neither side feels like it goes deep enough to have much grab. It left me with the feeling that the author loved and wanted to write a book about Judy Blume - quite right, I don’t know anyone worth knowing who doesn’t love Judy Blume - but couldn’t quite come up with enough content for a compelling biography nor enough to write a standalone book about the challenges and controversies surrounding her books.

I feel like, in 2024, it’s more important than ever that we not forget the past when it comes to censorship, book banning, and conservative pushback against teaching children about potentially difficult topics. With this in mind, I do think that this book has a place as a gentle reminder of that. Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it, after all, and “The Genius of Judy” is a pleasantly nostalgic reminder of that. I give this book 3.5 stars, but as GoodReads doesn’t allow for half stars, I’ve chosen to round down in this case.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book.

This review is being posted to GoodReads ( https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15458637 ) and The StoryGraph ( https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/suzeisreading ) and linked on Instagram ( @suze.shi )

I loved this book. It’s not only about Judy Blume and her life, but about how her work intertwines with feminism and inclusivity, how her work discussed taboo topics that everyone knows kids experience and talk about but few were writing and publishing at the time. It puts her work in a historical context, going over the events and the other books from the time. The book talks about censorship in the 50s, the 80s, in the 2020s...

I was constantly bookmarking and highlighting on my Kindle. The lessons this book offers are historical and current, contextual and universal. It was also easy to read in every sense- informative, fascinating, fun, relatable. I got an advance copy from NetGalley but honestly I am already planning to buy it for a few of my friends.

For many adults today, a simple utterance of the name "Judy Blume" instantly summons up childhood memories curled up with a book or listening to one being read aloud. Blume has become iconic in the world of children's and teenage literature, but not many truly understand the many highs and lows that filled her writing career. How did Judy Blume become the household name she is today? In this book, Rachelle Bergstein traces Blume's prolific career and draws conclusions as to why she is so revered among readers and authors today.

This book was a fascinating read for me. I had a brief encounter with Blume as a young child in the Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing series and read a few of her other less controversial novels. Then, as an adult, I read Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret in an attempt to fill a gap I thought I missed as a child. As a result, I was quite shocked to realize all of the many controversial, albeit important, topics that she covered. What a trailblazer she was! My, how I'd missed out on some good stuff! If only the adults in my sphere growing up had made such a fuss, I would have read all of her works! In the sense of all that I learned with this book, I was quite pleased. However, in terms of the structure and writing of this novel, there are a few areas in which it was lacking. For me, this entire book is a little off-kilter. It's not quite a biography of Blume, could be seen as a bit of a survey of her work, and then a little bit of social commentary. It didn't seem to fit one whole category enough for me and, as a result, felt a bit uneven. The second issue I take with this book is the general tone of the writing. Don't get me wrong, I'm a librarian in a public school and very much against book bans of any kind. Additionally, I live in the South (where the highest rates of STDs and teen pregnancies are) so I'm all for sexual education in schools. However, the tone of this book is written in a way that comes off as angry, heated, and sarcastic. For me, that kind of tone belittles the argument and takes away from the important message Bergstein is trying to communicate. A more detached and unbiased viewpoint in which the obvious conclusions can be made by the reader is one that I find to be much more convincing. However, I think any fans of Blume, no matter how many novels you have read of hers, will find this a truly fascinating read. Furthermore, it is one I'd encourage any librarian or lover of books to take a look at, as it raises so many good discussion points about book bans.

The Genius of Judy is a wonderful mix of biography and social commentary, and despite discussing books published decades ago, is still incredibly timely. As Judy Blume tells us, her works - Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret, Forever, Blubber, to name only a few - have always been rooted in honesty. They tackle topics that children and teens face in their real lives, including divorce, bullying, and yes, even sex, and they do so in hopes of teaching readers that they are not alone, that they are not strange or wrong for feeling what they feel.

Blume's career and her writing has been both lauded and attacked throughout the years. She has been involved with her fair share of book bans, and has been questioned about her choices to include sex, masturbation, and even throwing up in her novels. Yet she remained undeterred, and readers (myself included) are better for it.

In today's political climate, have to say, it is heartening to read about those who fought - and continue to fight - censorship, specifically regarding young readers. Bergstein did a wonderful job of not only telling Blume's story, but also of highlighting how impactful (and revolutionary) and her works truly were.

Part biography, part social commentary, this book co-relates what was happening in Judy Blume's life when she wrote her books and what was happening in the world at that time, affecting the reception of these books. She was a pioneer for openness about sexuality, puberty, divorce, etc in her books aimed at children, pre-teens, teens and later, adults.

Fans of Judy Blooms books who are curious to learn the author's background and inspirations will enjoy this book. It may be less enjoyable for someone unfamiliar with her work, although things are clearly explained, no assumptions made. I was a huge reader of Judy Blume and Norma Klein books, so this book was so interesting and informative for me.

In 7th grade, Forever was being sneakily passed around from one person to the next, reading it in one day so the next person in line wouldn't have to wait long for it. It was amazing to know I share memories of this with other people.

Academic at times, I felt like I needed to memorize some facts for the upcoming big test. Not massively light hearted, this book tackled some very serious topics which are still around today, from persecution from religious groups, or parents who want to ban libraries from being able to lend out such books, to criticism from the publishing community.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. Definitely for fans of Judy Bloom. She is one of my childhood influences for my love of reading.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the digital ARC of this new book about Judy Blume. Bergstein deeply dives into Blume's most popular titles: Forever, Deenie, and, of course, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, and how all three show feminism in action by talking about menstruation, masturbation, and birth control. She also writes about what was going on in Blume's life as she wrote all her books (Smart Women is based on her beginning relationship with the man who ended up as her third husband) and her ongoing fight with book banners. I wish Bergstein could've gone into more detail with the Fudge books, but otherwise this is a great look into the Blume canon.

This came across as an in depth analysis of Judy’s life and works. I knew a lot about her already but after reading this I now know more. It was fascinating to get the author’s perspective about why Judy’s books are so popular to readers. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I thought everything had been covered by the recent documentary on Judy but I learned a lot from this book.

It made me want to reread some Judy classics to see how they hold up.

There are several biographies of Judy Blume out there — most written thirty or more years ago — and author Rachelle Bergstein quotes from all of them. But what makes The Genius of Judy a special read is the way that Bergstein, with the benefit of looking back across the intervening decades and their shifting social and political climates, is able to give us the context in which Blume filled her literary niche and was able to positively influence countless young readers. From S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders paving the way for more realistic young adult fiction to Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying giving voice to the modern woman’s existential malaise, Bergstein sets Blume in her cultural moment, explaining what a necessary force her books were for allowing girls to understand and take control of their own bodies. That’s no small thing; it’s everything, and it’s somehow under threat again today. The Genius of Judy traces Blume’s releases — sharing the stories of their inspiration, their plotlines, and reception — while also giving us the story of Blume’s life throughout the years; from unfulfilled suburban housewife to free speech activist. As a Gen X woman, Blume’s novels were hugely influential in forming my own outlook, and I have to admit, I took her for granted: I never once considered that for me to read these books, someone out there had to be thinking deeply on what was needed and taking risks to get them published. I truly appreciate the context that Bergstein supplies here and that I had the opportunity to revisit, and better understand, these formative reads from my youth.

An examination of the life and work of Judy Blume, the iconic writer of young adult fiction including ARE YOU THERE GOD, IT’S ME, MARGARET, TALES OF A FOURH GRADE NOTHING, BLUBBER and FOREVER. Her books featured ordinary children facing regular, universal issues, and she made those problems seem surmountable…..which, naturally, led to her being one of the most banned authors of the 1980s and 1990s. Blume is now 85 years old.

The book is part biography (but not exhaustive) and part deep dive on just her “problem” books for young adults, so special attention is paid to select titles. Her critics get a lot of coverage here as do all forms of censorship, including other books and authors that were frequently banned during the time that her books were at the forefront of children’s literature. Judy Blume’s books were such an important part of my life; I read my copies to tatters, and I’m proud to have a signed edition of AYTGIMM. I loved reading this book about my favorites among her books, but if you are looking for the absolute seminal Judy Blume biography, that is not what this book is, or is intended to be. I thoroughly enjoyed it.