Everyone knows Judy Blume. Her books have garnered her fans of all ages for decades and sold tens of millions of cop ies. But why were people so drawn to them? And why are we still talking ab out them now in the 21st century?
\nIn \;The Genius of Judy< /em>\, her story is revealed as never before\, beginning with her as a mot her of two\, searching for purpose outside of her home in 1960s suburban N ew Jersey. The books she wrote starred regular children with genuine thoug hts and problems. But behind those deceptively simple tales\, Blume explor ed the pillars of the growing women&rsquo\;s rights movement\, in which gi rls and women were entitled to careers\, bodily autonomy\, fulfilling rela tionships\, and even sexual pleasure. Blume wasn&rsquo\;t trying to be a r evolutionary&mdash\;she just wanted to tell honest stories&mdash\;but in d oing so\, she created a cohesive\, culture-altering vision of modern adole scence.
\nBlume&rsquo\;s bravery provoked backlash\, making her the country&rsquo\;s most-banned author in the mid-1980s. Thankfully\, her wor ks withstood those culture wars and it&rsquo\;s no coincidence that Blume has resurfaced as a cultural touchstone now. Young girls are still cat-cal led\, sex education curricula are getting dismissed as pornography\, and e ntire shelves of libraries are being banned. As we face these challenges\, it&rsquo\;s only natural we look to Blume\, the grand dame of so-called d irty books. This is the story of how a housewife became a groundbreaking a rtist\, and how generations of empowered fans are her legacy\, today more than ever.
\nRachelle Bergstein is a lifestyle writer\, author\, and editor\, focused on style\, pop culture\, and families. Her work has appe ared in the \;New York Post\, the New York Times\,&n bsp\;NPR\, and more. She is the author of three books: \;Women fro m the Ankle Down\, \;Brilliance and Fire\, and \;The Genius of Judy. She lives with her husband and son in Brooklyn. Find out more at RachelleBergstein.com.
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