Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl - Jezebel Comments

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

prairieprincess — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:08:55 EST

When I was in sixth grade, the nearest bookstore was 70 miles away, and you had to be 16 to buy "Forever." Someone's older cousin got a copy and let her borrow it for awhile. I remember she made us sign up on a list and we only got the book for about three days. There must have been 12 sixth-grade girls waiting desperately to get their hands on it. So yes, it was read at night in my room, with me laying on a pile of pillows with several other books so if my mom came in, I could shove "Forever" under a pillow and pretend I was reading Beverly Cleary. And I was ruined forever believing it was really quite easy to have an orgasm.

prairieprincess

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

prairieprincess — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:05:08 EST

@BiscuitDoughJones: Absolutely. I was at the inane Senior Girls Tea (and I'm not even from the South) put on by the Chamber of Commerce wives, and some powdery old tart was cooing about how these were the best years of our lives, and another old dame looked her straight in the eye and said "No, they're not." I loved her then & there.

prairieprincess

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

athieno — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:52:35 EST

"tiger eyes" is the first book i stayed up all night reading.

athieno

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

elegantballoons — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:01:53 EST

i read forever in 4th grade or so. i didn't understand the actual mechanics of sex at the time (i knew that the penis went in the vagina and even that the sperm fertilizes the egg, but had no idea what an erection was or what it meant to come). the book introduced these concepts, even if it didn't fully answer all of my questions about them.

allllso, i seem to remember that the main character was able to orgasm pretty quickly and easily from intercourse.

elegantballoons

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

youknowverse — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:56:27 EST

@Det. Philangie: YES. Although I preferred Jeremy with the chartreuse jacket over Benjamin Moore. I absolutely adored Judy Blume and all of her books. Did you ever read the sequel, Here's to You Rachel Robinson?

I'm getting very nostalgic.

youknowverse

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Onalee — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:52:22 EST

I really think Judy Blume should have gotten some kind of huge international award. She provided a real service to MILLIONS of tweens in her day. Bless her!

Onalee

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

girlhappy — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:43:23 EST

@rednrowdy & shaynachelle - Sally J. Freedman was my favorite, too. What I love is that at first it just seems like another coming-of-age book - more of Judy's usual (but very good!) preteen angst about developing breasts, etc. But the subplot - a young Jewish girl trying to make sense of the Holocaust through imaginative play - is really brilliant, and seems to me a rare accomplishment for "young adult" fiction.

girlhappy

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

shaynachelle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:38:10 EST

while i did love margaret, starring sally j. freedman as herself is prolly still one of my most favorite books...but summer sisters was def the one i hid under my bed!

shaynachelle

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Tissa — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:19:05 EST

@bangieb: OH MY GOD I LOVED THE PAULA DANZIGER BOOKS! The Cat Ate My Gymsuit and There's a Bat in Bunk Five.....totally awesome.

Tissa

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

J.D.Regent — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:56:37 EST

i had to read her books in secret. too dirty for my parents. so repressed.

J.D.Regent

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

nardo218 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:20:42 EST

I read most of the period and sex books, but the one that impacted me the most? Blubber. I WAS that fat, picked on kid, and then the point at the end, that they'll pick on you no matter what? Completely changed how I understood people. (For the better, of course.)

nardo218

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

heretakeone — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:50:49 EST

I love Judy Blume!

I read Forever in 3rd grade (my sis and her friends were reading it a few grades up). For the longest time, I thought a guy rolled on a rubber like you would roll on an inflated beach ball. Needless to say, WAY over my head at the time!

heretakeone

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Augusta — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:35:13 EST

@dayglo: I'd forgotten that - hm, so evidently I didn't know what the word "masturbation" meant either! "Cause I had the same problem (some neck place, also, as I recall) and I don't think I figured it out 'til much later... probably, now that I think of it, reading Our Bodies Our Selves.

Augusta

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

wilmawonker — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:30:25 EST

@bangieb: yeah! i think they're a little more 'dated' but i LOVED them.

wilmawonker

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

spcool — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:29:20 EST

"Its a dream where everything is really really GREAT."
Sorry I"m having trouble posting.

spcool

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

dayglo — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:15:48 EST

@AnnieGetYourFun: YES, I was also confused by that. I didn't ask my mom, I just asked all my friends who haughtily told me that I ought to already know, as if it were a stupid question.

I'll bet none of those b!tches knew either.

dayglo

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

dayglo — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:14:32 EST

@Augusta: Omg, me too! The charactor talked about rubbing a special place to help her relax and go to sleep at night. And I always slept with my hand on my collarbone so I was like "O, my collarbone must be my 'special place'"

But then the gym teacher in the book actually said the word "masterbation" and I was like "OH...!"

dayglo

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

thatblackgirl — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:12:07 EST

@AnnieGetYourFun:
On TV, most women miscarry ten minutes before her scheduled appointment at the clinic. At least that what I learned watching TV as a kid. (rolls eyes)

thatblackgirl

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

AnnieGetYourFun — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:08:28 EST

Also, Blume is still right about the grisly-death-following-sex thing. How often do you see a woman having an abortion in a TV show or movie in which she DOESN'T get killed immediately afterward?

AnnieGetYourFun

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

dayglo — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:08:10 EST

@caffeinequeen: LOL at such an early introduction to zoology.

That's actually a really good arguement for giving young girls "Forever". Let them read about normal, loving relationships before the dog-farkers get to them!

dayglo

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

motokitty — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:06:37 EST

@emmablack: I forgot about "The Joy of Sex"! My much older half-sister had a copy at her apartment. I looked at it at every opportunity (I was 10 or so). There was truly an abundance of hair in that book.

motokitty

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

AnnieGetYourFun — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:05:45 EST

My mom tried to confiscate my copy of Forever when I asked what it meant for a woman to come. She patiently explained ejaculation to me, and I was like "Yeah, but for a woman, what does it mean?" She was NOT pleased. I was 12, I think, and I believe that Forever qualified as my first one-handed read.

AnnieGetYourFun

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Augusta — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:59:05 EST

Love Judy Blume and these comments are making my day. The thing I failed to understand in AYTGIMM was masturbation. Remember how she talks about touching some place that makes her feel nice? I had no idea and no understanding that this was a sex thing. I was maybe about 10? I wish it had been more explicit... I might have figured things out more efficiently later!

Augusta

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

emmablack — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:51:42 EST

When I was about 10 or 11 and my family was leaving on holiday, my Mom agreed to buy me some books to read on the plane (usually my brother and I had to borrow from the library, where I was on a strict limit of 10 books per visit).

Anyway, the books I sidled up to the counter with were one of the Avonlea series and Forever. I got about halfway through the latter when it mysteriously disappeared. Needless to say, I was crushed: Forever was more than living up to the grade-school hype as like, the best book EVER.

Turns out my Mom had flipped through the book one day when I had put it down and decided I was a little too young for it, and when we got home she tucked it under some sweaters on the top shelf of her closet.

Thank god for that, because that's where she kept The Joy of Sex, too, so I found it pretty quickly and finished reading it. Ah, thank god for Judy Blume. And Dr. Alex Comfort, come to think of it. Those books pretty much explained sex to us lucky 70s kids. Never will forget all that bush, all that facial hair...

emmablack

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

BAngieB — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:49:13 EST

@ldq32: You might want to add the Paula Danziger books.

BAngieB

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

shananigans — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:46:03 EST

It's Judy Blume's world and we're just living in it! I love her. I wish I could be a modern-day Judy Blume because although she might not have much to say about teenagers, I have plenty. Just trying to figure out how to refine it all.

shananigans

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

kickingthecrap — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:41:51 EST

@tissa: According to wikipedia, the most recent edition of Are you there god features "adhesive sanitary pads"--no belts in sight. So treasure those old-school copies, ladies.

I loved the ones about divorce--Just as Long as We're Together (and the danger of the friend triad!) and that other one, with the neighbor who read the Sunday Times cover to cover every week. I think that girl was my hero. Actually, it's possible that the majority of Judy Blume books have formed one Blume supertext in my head, since I read them all at about the same time.

kickingthecrap

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

ldq32 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:38:34 EST

oh my goodness i am so getting my daughter every single one of these books off amazon right now. Deenie rocked my socks. And forever.KathyMichael and ralph lol

ldq32

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

treecut...Grim Reaper of the forest — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:30:58 EST

@funnyface: Oh, I totally wanted my period, but I didn't get it until 13 (or maybe 14?). It seemed so exotic and adult.

treecut...Grim Reaper of the forest

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

flaxen_vixen — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:24:27 EST

@leMaldeTete: I love being a crochety old 24 year old. I figure by the time I'm 60 I will have perfected the routine and dealing with my 129 cats will be easy as pie.

flaxen_vixen

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

caffeinequeen — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:17:31 EST

@JessicaLovejoy:

I had the misfortune of stealing my mom's copy of My Secret Garden (collection of women's sex fantasies) and reading it before I ever read Judy Blume. I still remember dropping it in horror and whispering, "People can have sex with DOGS?!?" After that, Judy was a very welcome return to much tamer fare.

And I will always have mad love for Judy because once I wrote her a really long fan letter and she wrote back (not a form letter either; she comments specifically on things I said). I still have her letter, and it's in the suitcase where I keep my "take if there's a fire" stuff.

caffeinequeen

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Lady Skittlehattington — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:11:26 EST

I theorize that in 100 years, there will be Masterpiece Theater presents Judy Blume. She is that influential.

Lady Skittlehattington

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

vonnegurl — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:02:52 EST

Then Again, Maybe I Won't is my fave Blume...although I haven't thought of it in a million years. Used to listen to it on tape. Man.

vonnegurl

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

virginiabelle — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:58:11 EST

i really feel old when the woman that taught me about my period is turning 70. my mom gave me are you there god? as required reading before 'the talk.'

virginiabelle

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

GodOfBiscuits — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:57:44 EST

@myrtlebeachbum: I got all my Judy Blume books (including "Are You There God..." and except "Forever") at my grade school and junior high school libraries. I'm 33, too, and high school was small enough that my graduating class had 139 students.

You know, I do have a "Forever" story. She is right!

GodOfBiscuits

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

funnyface — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:54:35 EST

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was pissed of at idiot Margaret and her never-ending quest for boobs and bleeding. I did not want to get my period, and I was not happy when it arrived at age 12. I did not brag about it, I did not tell people, I just cursed the Gods.

funnyface

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

TheFormerJuneBronson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:54:25 EST

@Never_Been_Better: I was just thinking that I'll probably leave them lying around for my son. Maybe he'll read them even if he never admits to reading them. That's okay with me. My brother read all of mine.

TheFormerJuneBronson

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

the historian — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:53:10 EST

thanks for the memories. I cannot wait until my daughter is ready to read these books. I will have them ready and waiting. @tissa: my class passed around wifey after we read forever...talk about a step up...wow!

the historian

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

FairhairedOptimist — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:42:34 EST

It seems like yesterday I was curled up reading Are You There God?....now I have a daughter who could read that, wow, time really does fly by...

FairhairedOptimist

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

gimli — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:42:21 EST

I totally got my junior high jollies off to Forever, but then my mom confiscated my copy and I was unable to re-read it until after I graduated high school. By then I'd lost my virginity and had to put the book down halfway through because it struck way too close to home.

gimli

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Tissa — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:41:39 EST

@BiscuitDoughJones: When I was 12 I didn't really know to be aware of self-referrential jargon-smithing...I just wanted to know what fucking was. :)

Tissa

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

sparklytoesfairydustbutt — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:41:17 EST

had no idea blume was such a revolutionary... go blume!

sparklytoesfairydustbutt

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

BiscuitDoughJones — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:31:22 EST

@tissa: I couldn't get into Jong, b/c of all the self-referrential jargon-smithing. I was like, "Seriously, Erica, stop trying to make "zipless" happen. It isn't going to happen!" Which is why Mean Girls struck such a chord with me when it came out. LULZ.

BiscuitDoughJones

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

GeektasticallyDelicious — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:31:00 EST

My 6th grade teacher took Forever away from me and said she wouldn't give it back until she spoke with one of my parent's.

When my mom called her about it, and told her she's the one who bought it for me, my teacher actually felt the need to lecture my mom--who'd already raised THREE other daughters. Yeah, needless to say, that didn't go over so well!

I can't wait for my nieces to be old enough for me to give them these books as gifts!

GeektasticallyDelicious

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Det. Philangie — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:29:29 EST

I really loved Just As Long As We're Together. Benjamin Moore!

Det. Philangie

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

yourbffjill — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:27:49 EST

@BiscuitDoughJones: oh my god. one day when I was in one of my particularly angsty teenage pouty moods, my mom said to me, "Remember when you were 6 and you asked me if it's harder to be a kid or a grown up, and I said being a grown up is harder?" (No, I didn't.) "Well, that's not true. Being a kid sucks."

It didn't make things magically perfect but doesn't life change when you realize you have something to look forward to?

yourbffjill

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Tissa — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:26:33 EST

*confused*

Tissa

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Sweat87 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:25:58 EST

I fucks with Judy Blume. She needs to convince Harper Lee to write another damn story tho!

Sweat87

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Tissa — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:25:52 EST

Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great taught me how to put toothpaste on a toilet seat as a prank....

Tissa

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

rednrowdy — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:24:50 EST

my personal favorite was "starring sally j. friedman as herself". i just loved that book. i also remember not even know what the word 'masturbation' was until i read it in a judy blume book. i asked my mom what it meant! *still laughing at the thought*

rednrowdy

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

hatepaperdoll — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:21:11 EST

Are You There God?, It's Me, Margaret made me long for a fun Jewish grandmother who would take me to the Lincon Centre in a cab.

hatepaperdoll

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

angelicola — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:21:10 EST

@CMG: whoops, posted before I saw this. RIGHT!!!

angelicola

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Boogie Down in London Town — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:20:06 EST

@janna: I love Summer Sisters! I read it when I was 18 though. I never read anything like it before it was awesome though. And yes stay in school dont do drugs.

Boogie Down in London Town

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Tissa — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:19:00 EST

After "Wifey" I graduated to Isadora Wing and the zipless f**k of Erica Jong. ANd don't even get me started on sneaking The Hite Report from my mom's bookshelf and then the holy grail of sneaky sex reading: Nancy Friday!

Tissa

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

TheFormerJuneBronson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:18:41 EST

@wilmawonker: I liked Smart Women a lot, though. I think that in that one, she deals with the fallout of being the ideal woman in Wifey.

I was far too young for Wifey when I read it at first--twelve or fourteen. For the sex, of course; who didn't? But when I read it as an adult, I saw it as much more of a snapshot of what it was in that time and place to be a woman, particularly a Jewish woman, who wasn't a feminist. Because I was raised on feminism, it never occurred to me that any women weren't. That's our cultural memory of that era. But Wifey, I suspect, was more realistic in that sense. We see it as outdated, but what it really is now is unfashionable. That may make it an important book to know, regardless of what we think of the characters.

TheFormerJuneBronson

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

lucyjae — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:18:07 EST

I've started giving my little girl cousins special books for their significant birthdays. For their first I gave them each "The Giving Tree". I think "Forever" might be 13.

lucyjae

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

NolitaLolita — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:17:32 EST

@thatgirlinnewyork: I agree!

NolitaLolita

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

gherkinfiend — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:16:31 EST

I'm convinced it was drunkenly reminiscing and re-enacting the classic 'I must, I must, I must increase my bust' for years that finally got me my ample bosoms at 26...

I loved Judy Blume books, partly because they talked about things adults never tell you and your peers don't talk about, but mainly because tales of growing up in America seemed so exotic and fascinating when you lived in Belfast. I think she might have sparked my love of American novels...and eventual degree in American Literature...oh and the ability to take anyone called Ralph seriously...

gherkinfiend

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

angelicola — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:16:07 EST

@AlisonAshleigh: I can't remember! What was in the paper bag? I remember hiking boots!

angelicola

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

NolitaLolita — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:14:27 EST

Judy Blume was my precursor to Erica Jong and Judith Krantz.

NolitaLolita

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

BlondeGrlz is having a BlondeBoyz! — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:13:24 EST

@tissa: @thatgirlinnewyork: I saw that book yesterday at the flea market for 25 cents. I had never heard of it but now I am certainly going back to get it next Sunday!

BlondeGrlz is having a BlondeBoyz!

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

The HZA. — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:12:43 EST

I remember when I first read Are You There God.. and I was totally confused by the needing a belt for the maxi pad. I always assumed they were adhesive.

I loved Tiger Eyes.

The HZA.

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Tissa — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:11:13 EST

I also forgot to mention that my mom was a middle school teacher and confiscated about twenty copies of Forever from her classes....some of them were HIGHLIGHTED. HAHAHAH!

Tissa

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

thatgirlinnewyork — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:10:33 EST

There IS an adult Blume read to bridge the gap between Forever and now--and it's a delicious read--Wifey, anyone?
[www.amazon.com]

Would make an excellent discussion piece for the Jezebel set!

thatgirlinnewyork

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Tissa — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:10:00 EST

"Wifey" was the first book with explicit sex I ever read. I snuck it off my mother's bookshelf and one day when my parents were out and we had a babysitter I spent all day in my room, in bed, reading that book. I think I was in fifth grade. Whoah. By that time I'd already pretty much destroyed my copy of AYTGIMM from reading it so much. It would be kind of cool if Judy could write an updated version of Margaret....one that doesn't deal with belted pads and such....

Tissa

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

TheFormerJuneBronson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:07:46 EST

@Lkkelly11: We ate at the Homeport and watched the sunset at Gay Head! Vix was right...the food was mediocre. But the view was definitely nice.

TheFormerJuneBronson

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

wilmawonker — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:05:25 EST

what about all her 'grown up' books from the 70s? They're outdated, but when I need a big push of why-womens-lib-is-necessary i go reread Wifey. Augh the things these women believed about themselves and their uselessness!

wilmawonker

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Jiboo — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:03:26 EST

@BiscuitDoughJones: Yes, yes, YES!! You are so lucky to have someone actually *say* that to you, instead of keeping up that ridiculous facade, or just dismissing you as a hopeless miscreant as many adults are wont to do with teens.

If I have children I will never ever ever ever tell them they should be "thrilled" to be in high school, nor mislead them with the idea that these times are the best they will ever experience.

Jiboo

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Vermeil — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:01:53 EST

Judy Blume was one of the reasons I loved reading. She has nothing new to say about teenagers? Ok, that may be true but as the mother of a teenager myself I wouldn't mind if she would say it all again.

Vermeil

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

oesa — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:00:36 EST

@TinyK: Haha, same! I had no idea why a belt would be necessary. Especially confusing since I was a competitive swimmer and had been hearing the older girls talk about tampons since the age of 8. I couldn't figure out why you'd need a belt and wondered how the older girls hid it under their swimsuits and why they never talked about it.

oesa

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

AlisonAshleigh — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:59:00 EST

@HeatherNumber1: Her dad owned a 7-11 or something, and was shot during a robbery, and she heard it and went to him and held him while he died. She ends up moving and bringing this paper bag with her, and towards the end of the book you find out it has the blood stained clothes she wore that night inside it.

AlisonAshleigh

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

StrawberryOrange — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:58:12 EST

I think one of my favorite moments in high school was when I made some off handed reference to uh, Ralph from Forever in my english class, and every single girl in the class caught it, the teacher caught it, and none of the guys got it and we were just sitting there cracking up.

StrawberryOrange

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

cmg — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:56:47 EST

Spoiler Alert!
@HeatherNumber1: noooo, it was the blood-stained clothes from the night her father was killed.

cmg

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

fakeblonde99 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:54:42 EST

I never would have made it through puberty without Judy Blume. She rules.

fakeblonde99

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

onefishtwofish — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:53:40 EST

Oh, I love Judy Blume. I don't have a Forever story as my library didn't have it growing up as a kid (maybe it was banned?), but Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret and Blubber got me through some tough times growing up.

onefishtwofish

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

myrtlebeachbum — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:53:24 EST

Judy Blume book banning is proof (to me) that we are regressing. I grew up in a small Southern town. I am 33 years old. I and every single one of my friends read all of these books. Where did we get them? Our public school library. It just wasn't a big deal.

myrtlebeachbum

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Intern Kevin — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:52:35 EST

@leMaldeTete: I hear 12 is the new 26. This might explain why the pics on my 13 year old sisters myspace look like they're submissions for Hustler Letters.

Intern Kevin

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

TruculentandUnreliable — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:52:16 EST

lOVE HER!

TruculentandUnreliable

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Lkkelly11 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:51:38 EST

@TheFormerJuneBronson: I went to the Flying Horses, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bru. Unfortunatly he wasn't there. :)

I did however rent a moped and drive the 18 miles to the other side of the island to lay on Gayhead Beach. I'm pretty sure this book made me who I am today. Completely changed my life. Everytime I read it I fall in love again.

Haha that sounds pathetic...but yet so true.

Lkkelly11

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

TinyK — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:50:18 EST

By the time I read Are You There God, belts were long gone from pads and I was SO CONFUSED about how periods worked. I thought the egg coming down those tubes just squeezed your body so much, you bled from your hips. Oy. Still, fantastic book.

TinyK

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

motokitty — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:49:08 EST

Every time Judy comes up here, I realize I should re-read these books. Especially Margaret and Forever. I could never understand why on earth Margaret wanted her period so badly though - I was dreading the arrival of mine.

motokitty

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

HeatherNumber1 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:48:59 EST

@AlisonAshleigh: Missed this Blume book. What was in the bag? A dead cat?

HeatherNumber1

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

BlondeGrlz is having a BlondeBoyz! — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:47:00 EST

@leMaldeTete: Then I am oldest 25 year old. Get off my lawn is something I actually say.

BlondeGrlz is having a BlondeBoyz!

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

FattyCatty — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:46:54 EST

@katastic: Hahaha!!

I read "Are You There God" when I was 7, and my parents were bracing themselves for the questions...and the only one I had was, "if the dad is Jewish and the mom is Catholic, do they get to have Christmas or Hanukkah?" They were so relieved!!

FattyCatty

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Kataluna — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:45:29 EST

I love her. She started me on Jewish female writers...I went on to Norma Klein and eventually Erica Jong...I was the only kid in my youth group who knew Yiddish.

Kataluna

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

TheFormerJuneBronson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:45:10 EST

Love her forever. She writes back lovely notes, you know, if you write to her. Somewhere, I still have the letter she wrote me when I was twelve, and I was lucky enough to hear her speak at my sister's graduation from Mount Holyoke in 2003. Afterwards, I was too freaked out to approach her for an autograph, so I wrote her a card telling her how much I enjoyed her speech, and she sent me a postcard back. Handwritten! I know I sound like a doofus, and I don't care. There's something about her.

@Lkkelly11: I loved Summer Sisters, and went to MV on my honeymoon at least partly because of it. It was one of the few books I've read where I felt it changed me, especially of the ones I've read as an adult. She knows how to say all the things you think about but can't name.

TheFormerJuneBronson

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

thefiftyfourth — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:44:54 EST

::guiltily puts hands up::

i was one of the kids that learnt about periods from judy blume before learning about them from their mothers. judy blume is kind of my hero.

thefiftyfourth

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

BiscuitDoughJones — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:44:38 EST

I read Judy Blume books when I was really young (pre-puberty) and had pretty much forgotten them all by the time I was a teen. I prolly could've used some of those books.
I still can remember the exact moment my adolescent angst waned. I got into some trouble in HS one time (don't remember, prolly falling grades or absences) and the guidance couselor sat me down and said, "I wouldn't trade places with you in a million years. Being young sucks. They say these are the best years of your life, but that's horse shit. Your best years don't come till way later, so know that it gets better." and *poof* I'm over it. I'd never had an adult level with me like that before. The term "best years of you life" needs to be banned from parent/teacher vocab.

BiscuitDoughJones

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

titania1285 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:44:22 EST

i just remember that deenie made me cry something awful, so i hardly read any of her other books. and i could never, ever understand why you would WANT your period... ever.

titania1285

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

mepo — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:43:37 EST

Yay, for Judy Blume and so many summers spent rereading her books. I want a hardback collection right now.

mepo

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

gladys_kravitz — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:43:19 EST

I still have my whole Judy Blume collection from the '70's. She is a national treasure.

gladys_kravitz

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

BAngieB — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:43:03 EST

I guess I was lucky to grow up before all the PC bullshit came to be (and, as a matter of fact, before all the "abstinance" bullshit...we had sex ed, and it was good. Thanks, Hilary.) I don't remember anything about books being banned. My mom started taking me to the library as a toddler, we went every Saturday morning after I was in school, and I always went home with a stack of books.

BAngieB

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

AthertonMerriweather — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:42:57 EST

I love Judy Blume. Her daughter sounds pretty cool too.

AthertonMerriweather

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Scoregasm — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:42:16 EST

@JessicaLovejoy: My story sucks, too. I read basically everything by Judy Blume except Forever as a kid, but somehow didn't read Forever until long after my mind had been irretrievably warped by other stuff.

Scoregasm

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

katastic — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:41:26 EST

Oh My GOD! "Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret" was basically the moment I realized that I was a girl, which meant I was going to turn into a Woman. I could NOT figure out why the book was all about punctuation- why was this girl so worried about a period? So my little 8-year old self went running to my dad to ask him about it, and he just said, "Go ask your mother." Which was the first time he had ever refused to answer me about something in my life.

katastic

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

anastasia beaverhousen — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:41:15 EST

Oh "Tiger Eyes"... how you impacted my young life. Thank you Judy Bloom.

anastasia beaverhousen

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Trashtastic is proud to be an American!!!! — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:41:02 EST

Forever stories - Discuss!

C'mon gang, it'll be fun. Its this, or actually working.

Trashtastic is proud to be an American!!!!

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Lkkelly11 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:40:46 EST

To this day "Summer Sisters" is my all time favorite book. So much so that I took a trip to the Vineyard this past August to relive it.

Lkkelly11

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

inchworm — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:40:03 EST

love. her.

met her in college. she comes off as VERY flaky (but still lovable) in person. which was surprising, because i found her writing growing up (and now, too, for that matter) to be decidedly un-flaky.

judy blume 4FR!

inchworm

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

KathrynwithaY loves Joan Collins — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:39:30 EST

I loved her books! I used to read them under the covers with a flashlight until wayyy past my bedtime because I couldn't put them down!

KathrynwithaY loves Joan Collins

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

janna — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:39:06 EST

@janna: Ok, forget I said that last part. Summer Sisters is not for kids. Stay in school and don't do drugs.

janna

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

janna — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:37:38 EST

Amen. I read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing when I was 7, Forever when I was 12 and Summer Sisters when I was 14 (with random books like Deenie mixed in). Judy Blume books taught me soooo much, and I will be forever thankful.

janna

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Arbuthnot — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:36:57 EST

I'm glad I'm not the only one who spent long nights huddled under blankets with a copy of Tiger Eyes or Then Again Maybe I Won't, then paying the harsh price the next day for spending sleepless nights reading about horny teens.

Arbuthnot

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

leMaldeTete — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:36:57 EST

This makes me so nostalgic for the good ol' days, before Generation Skankbotbratz.

Oh my god I'm the crotchety-ist 26 year old everrrr.

leMaldeTete

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

wilmawonker — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:36:56 EST

I love Judy! I think she's the one who taught me how to put on a bra - that was not something I wanted to discuss with my mother.

wilmawonker

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

Jessica Hussein Lovejoy: BRB, getting Rahm'ed — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:36:53 EST

one of the most banned writers in America

Sigh. I hope I write a banned book one day.

My Forever story sucks. I read it long after I'd read things that were far more pornographic, so I barely remember it.

I'm either really ahead or way behind.

Jessica Hussein Lovejoy: BRB, getting Rahm'ed

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

summerwheatley — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:36:43 EST

@chocolatecoffeebeans: same - that was the one Judy Blume book I wasn't allowed to have...I checked it out of the library and kept renewing it until the library wouldn't let me have it any longer.

summerwheatley

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

battleaxonista — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:36:34 EST

*dusts extensive Blume shrine that is right below the Agatha Christie's*

No doubt, Blume is the shit.

battleaxonista

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

hbehrmann — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:36:03 EST

Agreed! Judy Blume can make any girl's morning.

-webelowwear.com

hbehrmann

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

AlisonAshleigh — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:36:02 EST

I love all her books. Tiger Eyes was a rough read...when you finally find out whats in the paper bag? UGH.

AlisonAshleigh

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

judgingnora — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:34:24 EST

Aww! I've been waiting for you guys to cover Judy Blume for Forever (ha). Thanks for making my morning.

judgingnora

Judy Blume: Almost 70 But Forever Our Girl

chocolatecoffeebeans — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:34:23 EST

Love her! Read all her books when I was a preteen. I even hid Forever in my room so my mom couldn't find it.

chocolatecoffeebeans