I'm really psyched for the release of this book, though I'll probably just leaf through it for a while because I can't afford hardback books (a really depressing fact) and it's unlikely my local libraries will be carrying it. But when I can pay for it, or when it comes out in paperback, whichever is more likely to come first, I'm snatching it.
My history with Judy Blume started in first grade. Yes, it is sad I remember this when I know everyone else has long forgotten it, but my reading teacher would read us excerpts from
Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing. Second grade brought
The One In The Middle Is The Green Kangaroo and
Freckle Juice. Then I dove in. I read more about
the crazy Hatcher family.
Shelia made me laugh. I only ever got half-way through
Blubber because it hit a little too close to home. I loved
Stephanie and
Rachel's stories and wished she wrote one for Allison. And of course, I had to find out if
God was there for Margaret. Some little things about her books annoyed me-- the out-of-date fads and how all the characters say 'yes', never 'yeah' or 'yep' (its true)-- but they didn't get in the way of the real story being told.
In an ironic twist, the only book I was ever banned from reading was
Summer Sisters by Ms. Blume. I say this is ironic because JB has faced much censorship in her career, mainly from her children's books, and organized
a collection of short stories from censored writers (yeah, I read that too).
Why was Summer Sisters banned? Well, I was 12 when I picked the paperback up from Wal-Mart. My mom was very apprehensive about it. Once we got home, she asked me to go up the street to get milk, and I (stupidly) left the book on the dining room table. When I returned, my mom
and dad were sitting at the dining room table and told me that book was 'inappropriate' and took it off me. Later that night, over my grandmother's, I was in their downstairs family room while my parents, aunt, and grandmother played cards. I heard my mother's voice and muted the television.
"Did you ever read Summer Sisters?" she asked my aunt.
"Summer Sisters? No, never heard of it."
"Well, Annie got it up today and
it's full of sex. I took it off her."
Downstairs, my face burned with embarressment. One, that she flipped through it, and two that she even said the word sex (hey, I was 12). But since I was 12, that just intrigued me more. Over the next two years, I snuck into her room several times trying to find it, reading it in bits and pieces in fears she would find me. I once took it out of her room, and she did find me reading it, and freaked out. Finally, in high school, I took it out of the library and there was nothing she could do about it at that point. I understand why she had a fit about it now, but I wish she would have talked to me about it instead.
Anyways, one last Judy story. Sometime senior year of high school, I stumbled upon
her website, and for whatever reason, I decided to e-mail her about life, trying to find a college, and other messes in my life at the time. And she e-mailed me back, with advice, encouragement, and just well-wishes. Seriously, you have to admit that's cool.
This blog in three letters: Judy Blume is awesome
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at 11:55 AM 
While packing to move home, I found my high school class ring (in a bathroom drawer, for whatever reason). I truly had forgotten all about it and was surprised to find it to be pretty loose on my ring finger. I blamed it on being cold (the air conditioner was on full blast that day) and finished my haphazard packing.
