SLIS 5420, Module #1: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

I've been a long time fan of Beverly Cleary, but for some reason that fanship never made the obvious cross-over to Judy Blume books. For this reason,  I thought the next "classic chapter book" I'd conquer would be Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.

Summary

Judy Blume's classic tale of growing up as young tween Margaret moves from New York to the suburbs with her Mother and Father. Leaving her Grandmother behind, Margaret must come to terms with starting a new school, making new friends, and "growing up" without the woman she's previously spent so much time with.

But Margaret is not alone in this new endeavor, for she has God by her side to listen to her thoughts and problems whenever she needs someone. Unlike most characters in books that talk with God (especially during the 70s when this book was published), Margaret does not belong to a religion. Born of a Christian mother and a Jewish father, Margaret's religious beliefs (or lack thereof) are just another one of her suffering-from-preteen-angst problems.

Soon, though, Margaret as God and a best friend Nancy to help her grow up (and talk about boys, breasts, and periods). Things get complicated for Margaret as we learn more about the dynamics of her life a school- from a first-year teacher to working on assigned projects with classmates she despises, Margaret learns a lot about life and a little about bra-stuffing in this novel.

The book closes as some pretty serious (and groundbreaking for the '70s) topics are tackled by Margaret. For example, Margaret learns an important lesson about rumors and that things aren't always how the look. As Laura, a classmate of Margaret's exclaims (location 1540 of 1975), "Think about how you'd feel if you had to wear a bra in fourth grade and how everybody laughed and how you always had to cross your arms in front of you." It's relatable experiences like these described in the book with such candidity that readers of all ages won't want to put the book down until the very end.

My Thoughts

Wow! How did I miss this book during puberty? I see so much of myself in Margaret as she is one relatable character! Judy Blume captures the tween years and squeezes them into a book perfectly!

More than just your typical chick lit, Blume touches on "growing up" as though the one telling the story really is a 12 year old girl. Even by today's standards, Blume pushes the envelope and doesn't just talk about pads and periods, but delves deeper into the preteen psyche and shows the world the depth to which tweens often think about their struggles. Margaret talks to God like Leigh talks to Mr. Henshaw in Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary- with curiosity and desperation both- as though she is looking for answers from him, but really knows she'll has to work them out herself. One of the most touching talks to God happens at the end of the book (location 1571 of 1975):

I really hurt Laura's feelings. Why did you let me do that? I've been looking for you God. I looked in the temple. I looked in church. And today, I looked for you when I wanted to confess....Why God? Why do I only feel you when I'm alone?

While other women may be reluctant to admit this, the quote above proves that their is just a little bit of Margaret in all of  us. :)

What Have Others Said?

From School Library Journal's blogger, Fuse #8 (2012):

In her June/July 1999 American Libraries article “Places I Never Meant to Be: A Personal View," Ms. Blume says of writing this story, “I wrote Are You There God ? It’s Me, Margaret right out of my own experiences and feelings when I was in 6th grade. Controversy wasn’t on my mind. I wanted only to write what I knew to be true. I wanted to write the best, the most honest books I could, the kinds of books I would have liked to read when I was younger. If someone had told me then I would become one of the most banned writers in America, I’d have laughed.”

And, more from  School Library Journal's blogger, Fuse #8 (2012):

It was probably also the earliest Blume title that has been routinely challenged and banned. American Writers for Children Since 1960: Fiction says that, “Attempts at censoring the book have continued throughout its lifetime; the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom reports that it has been charged with ‘denigrating religion and parental authority’ and being ’sexually offensive and amoral’.” Ms. Blume says of her first experiences with banning, “. . . one night the phone rang and a woman asked if I was the one who had written that book. When I replied that I was, she called me a communist and hung up. I never did figure out if she equated communism with breast development or religion.”

I've been aware of the book's controversy when it was originally published for several years. Certainly, the book's hype has died down as more and more boundaries are being broken by young adult authors every day?  I decided to hop on over to www.commonsensemedia.org to see what present day critics of controversy are saying:

From Katherine Olney on www.commonsensemedia.org:

Parents need to know that this book presents a pretty realistic take on what it's like to be a sixth-grade girl (which means it's fine for girls a bit younger since they are always looking ahead): Readers will find it easy to relate to honest Margaret, who says "I want to be like everybody else." There's some talk about periods, boys, bras, and bodies -- and Margaret sneaks her father's Playboy for her curious friends to look at. She and her friends gossip about the most-developed girl in class, and, at a party, the kids play "Two Minutes in the Closet" and other kissing games. Margaret grapples with some big questions about growing up, including what religion she should be (if any). She talks to God in a very personal way and at one point even gets so angry at him that she refuses to talk to him anymore. Ultimately, tweens learn that they're not alone in wishing that they would hurry up and grow up.

My inference was right! While Blume's topics have stood the test of time, it looks as though (some) of the controversy has been laid to rest.

Some Ideas for the Library or Classroom

I can't wait to share this book with my tween readers! First step: move the book from the Teen section of the library to the Fiction section of the library! (Long story short: running a library for 9-16 year olds is complicated... especially if you haven't read all of your books!) Second step: recommend the book to Yolanda! I know this is exactly what she's looking for! As a fan of The Winnie Years by Lauren Myracle and a Beverly Cleary fanatic (like me!), she'll eat this book up! I am not sure this is  a book that I will do a formal book talk on or make a book trailer for- I think it will be a special title I will share with the tween ladies personally and hope word-of-mouth catches on!

I can't honestly say that I will actually implement this next idea, but it is certainly one worth mentioning. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret would be an excellent book for a discussion on banned books and censorship with my older readers. With so many fans of Crank by Ellen Hopkins in the 8th grade, I think students would be shocked by the controversy of Blume's book and an engaging conversation would be sure to commence!

References

Bird, E. (May 19, 2012). Top 100 Children’s novels #74: Are you there, god? It’s me, margaret by Judy Blume. Message posted to http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/05/19/top-100-childrens-novels-74-are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret-by-judy-blume/
Blume, J. (1970). Are you there god? it's me, margaret. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Clearly, B. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York, NY: HarperTrophy.

Hopkins, E. (2004). Crank. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.
Myracle, L. (2004-2011). The Winnie Years [book series]. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.
Olney, K. (2012). Are you there god, it's me, margaret? [Review of the book Are you there god? It’s me, Margaret by Judy Blume]. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret