Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

As a teenager, I was going about my own merry way until Margaret and her literary ilk sent me into a neurotic spiral of “why don't I worry about my body shape?” “Why don't I have obsessive, angsty crashes on guys?” “Why don't I care whether my friends have their periods?”

The answer, revealed years later is that I'm far wiser than these girls and their nonfictional counterparts – a truth I wish I knew as a middleschooler when teachers harassed me about not being able to find ways that Margaret resonated with me.

A book about a petty and shallow girl, befitting petty and shallow preteens and the intelligent young women who want insight into why their peers have suddenly gone crazy.

Re-read on audiobook. I remember hiding in the library at school reading this in 4th grade, being absolutely shocked about bras and periods (we didn't have the internet back then, friends!). I did not, however, remember the very frank discussion of religion. She's “no religion” and goes on an exploration tour through Judaism, Christianity, and catholicism to see what feels right to her. For a YA book from 1970, I am impressed.

This remains the defining coming of age story. Still the blueprint for movies like Lady Bird of Eight Grade, just a foundational text for people interested in grounded stories of adolescent ennui. Was shocked to see this came out in 1970, feels very daring for a children's book back then which tracks given people are still trying to get it banned today.

I am a sucker for religious uncertainty, struggling with femininity, and school drama so this ticks all the boxes. Margaret has a great voice that balances overly thoughtful narration with heaps of tween angst. Her titular reframe is initially a bit silly, but once the book begins to explore her anxieties around religion (stemming from pushy adults on all sides), it takes on a greater significance as it's clear her relationship with god means a lot to her despite having no name to put to it.

I do wish the emotional beats weren't reserved for the last 30 or so pages. Much of the book is straightforward scenes of children existing in fairly unremarkable ways (which is itself interesting), but a lot of the major threads go unresolved as there simply aren't enough pages to handle them once the ball starts moving. It has also aged quite severely in many places, which would be alienating enough if everyone wasn't also extremely rich.

Glad to have this as a reference text for similar media, and excited to check out the recent movie which seems to complete the circle of grounded coming of age stories that are maybe more popular than ever.

I loved this! This is another Blume book I didn't read when I was younger, but I know I would have loved it then. Blume's writing is ever charming and relatable, more so here than in Forever for me. Margaret's comments about her friends, school, and growing up hearken back to when I was that age, when I was having very similar thoughts. I was never the kind of preteen who hoped and hoped to get my period or to wear a bra (wise beyond my years!). I loved all the characters and the things they talked about, especially Margaret's friends and their breast obsession. I pretty much knew going in that I would love the book, but what surprised me were the religious themes. They weren't heavy-handed or partisan at all; they presented themselves naturally, the way a real child would think about them. I'd definitely recommend this to female readers young and old!

Rating: 3.9 leaves out of 5Characters: 3/5 Cover: 3/5Story: 4.5/5Writing: 5/5Genre: Children/ClassicType: AudiobookWorth?: SureHated Disliked It Was Okay Liked Loved FavoritedDecided to read the book after seeing the trailer. It was a quick read and for the most part pretty good. Though, honestly, gotta say that it secured my feelings of not liking preteens too much. Yes, I know I was one, but who says I liked me at that age now that I am 31? Lol. Either way the fact that this book was ever banned makes me laugh. Ohhh nnnoo periods and girls liking boooyysss. I really question the intelligence of the people who thought this was a bad book.

I love Judy Blume.
I find it interesting that I haven't read this book before. I suppose it was the “God” part of it. The themes of this book were never interesting to me.

Now, This is one of the 100 most “challenged” books... in the 80s, in some libraries, the kids had to have a slip from their parents before they could borrow this book! USonians are crazy. Batshit crazy. (OK, some of them. and not just USonians. But the people who ban this book and remove it from school libraries are. If your preteen hasn't made up their mind about God, this book won't influence them one way or another. I mean, I'm Pagan. Jesus is not for me. Yet, one of the books that most influenced my beliefs is The Last Battle of Narnia. C.S.Lewis. One of the most Christian authors ever. People will take what ever they take from ANY book. More people have grown averse to Christianity by reading the Bible than any other book ever written. (Most people hate Christianity because of Christians, what people identifying as Christians do and say and how they treat people. It's not books.)

Another thing I find interesting is that Judy Blume hasn't been translated into Swedish. I grew up in Finland, and she's pretty popular there.

As a kid this wasn't my fav JB book–I didn't relate to Margaret's desire for boobs and her period at alllllllll but I still found other parts of Margaret's character to be very relatable. Judy Blume is an icon for a reason, she is SO great at creating these very honest, vulnerable voices. And re-reading it as an adult I found I picked up on more nuances, especially among the parent/grandparent dynamics.

MANY more thoughts on the podcast:

https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-220-are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret/

I can't exactly remember why this book was on my to-read list. I think I saw it on one of the unshelved.com bookclub notes and thought it was a cool premise.

I really wasn't expecting how old fashioned it was.
It was apparently first published in 1970.

I still thought it was a very cute short story. Most of the characters had depth. I can actually related it to some of the few school memories I still have.

I don't think I know anyone I would recommend it to, but its an insight into young girls (which sounds a little creepy) that I wasn't expecting. I'm betting its pretty outdated though.