Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret: Now a major film starring Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson

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The film isn't the first screen adaptation of Blume's work. There's a 1978 television movie of her 1975 novel Forever – very unmistakably a product of the 1970s – and a 2013 film version of Tiger Eyes, co-written by Blume and her son Larry, who also directs. But Margaret, arguably the most beloved of her books, had never been filmed before Blume entrusted it to Craig and her mentor, director James L Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News). Twenter, Paige (February 2, 2022). "ReRuns: The Genius of 'Bob's Burgers' ". Loyola Phoenix . Retrieved September 23, 2022. Blume made a post-publication edit to subsequent editions of the book to reflect changing menstrual products. [9] Plot [ edit ] My favorite part of this book and I have heard from other girls that I'm not the only one. The 4 girls are together and they have a mantra they repeat together. "I must, I must, I must increase my bust" while opening their chest. I would sit in my room as a kid saying this over and over, just like the characters do. When this title is brought up, many women will talk about this line from the books. It's totally famous. And a forbidden book will always have appeal. Almost as soon as Margaret was published, it was banned in certain corners; Blume has said her own children’s elementary school principal wouldn’t shelve it in the school library because it mentioned menstruation. In the 1980s, conservative warriors Phyllis Schlafly and Jerry Falwell made Margaret and other Blume books a target of their ire. Schlafly’s Eagle Forum put out a pamphlet titled “How to Rid Your Schools and Libraries of Judy Blume Books.”

While our sex education classes sternly taught us how not to get pregnant, Blume's stories helped us learn the realities of first sexual encounters and navigating those awkward formative years. She understood the worries and complexities of being a teenager, but treated us like grown-ups.

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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Book Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org . Retrieved September 4, 2022. Though it's Ralph that most people remember, Forever's message – that a first sexual experience can be fun, awkward but ultimately positive, and that first love does not always equate true love – still feels necessary and relevant. A Netflix series based on the book is on the cards. It's easy to see why Craig feels that way. The book meant so much to so many people when they were growing up. "Reading Margaret was hugely helpful in my childhood," Alison Michael, who co-hosts the Blume Saloon podcast with Jody Worthington, tells BBC Culture. For the past six years they have been rereading Blume's oeuvre and reflecting on her work. Growing up, says Michael, "I didn't have a tonne of people to ask these questions of and reading the book, while having the same questions as Margaret about religion and periods, was really affirming."

The story is that of Margaret, an 11-year-old, who just moved from NYC to "the country" (Jersey). Now she has to go to a new school, find new friends, buy some bras with her mother (for the first time), talk about periods, find a way to still spend time with her beloved grandma and generally navigate the treacherous waters of growing up. Blume's coming-of-age stories were some of the most popular reads for teenagers, mainly young girls, who passed through on their way to adulthood. Sex, masturbation, periods, sexuality, body image, puberty, disability, friendship, religion, even death; we tittered at some parts, cried at others, and we lapped up Blume's books because they explored these issues in a way that was real and relatable.

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Judy Blume on the 50th Anniversary of Are You There God? It's Me Margaret". Books & Books. January 7, 2021 . Retrieved March 5, 2022.

Orr, Christopher (September 17, 2021). " 'Ted Lasso' Recap, Season 2 Episode 9: Beard Has a Late Night". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved September 23, 2022. Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019". Banned & Challenged Books. September 9, 2020 . Retrieved September 4, 2022. Part of that is understandable, since I do run around ranting all the time. But not about the big G and how he done me wrong. I tend to scream about human failings.Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig’s entry to the woefully underserved category of period dramas (make of that what you will), is destined to become a classic. Based on – but not entirely wedded to – Judy Blume’s seminal 1970 novel of the same name, the film is an entertaining comedy that also happens to be a stunning evocation of the fear and yearning that come with standing on the precipice of adulthood. It's easier to tell somebody who's not at the breakfast table the next morning, somebody you might never meet, somebody who might not even be real, but you believe that she is. I wasn't a perfect mother. I wasn't the mother that all of those kids thought I would be if only I could be their mother. ... I wanted desperately to be the kind of parent that my kids could come to. And sometimes they did. Sometimes they did. .... I love to rewrite! Once I have a first draft I’m able to relax. It’s as if I have the pieces to a puzzle and all I have to do is figure out how to put them together. I actually enjoy second and third drafts. Only then do I share a new book with my editor. After we talk I do another rewrite and then a final polish. McAdams, who has two young children, says she hopes Margaret's story can be helpful not just to children and young adults, but to parents as well.