“Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume
It’s really one of the best titles, isn’t it? You never want to say the whole Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret aloud (or type it more than twice), but the phrase is iconic, as is the book, which has been read and beloved by bajillions of pre-teen girls. Why? Because it talked about periods, and buying bras, and envying girls who are more developed than others. It contained things that were felt very real and important when I was whatever age I was when I read it (9? 10? 11 at the latest).
Before re-reading it, I recalled a few details: the obsession over getting periods, the “we must” chant, and her school project about choosing a religion. After reading it, and filling in the chinks with the rest of the story, I’m left with an experience much like I probably had growing up. I like this book, and like Margaret, and like Judy Blume for writing Margaret. It’s a sweet book. Like From the Mixed-Up Files… (another great, unwieldy title), nothing truly awful happens to kids. Unlike that book, though, this one ended quickly. As I did with A Wrinkle in Time, I wished for more of a denouement. And while it was a pleasure to revisit Margaret, she doesn’t have the hold on me that Meg or Claudia do.
June 16th, 2012 at 6:46 am
Definitely one of my favorite girlhood books! It left me always wanting to play 7 minutes in the closet and spin the bottle, though…
June 16th, 2012 at 2:17 pm
My blog post will be up on this one Monday. I agree–I enjoyed rereading it, but I don’t think I’ll ever read it again, where I can definitely see myself rereading Mixed-Up Files. Or Harriet the Spy.
June 17th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
i re-read this one a couple of summers ago with my bookclub (our daughters were approaching ripe-for-judy-blume age) and was surprised at the amount of religion in there. our collective remembrance was the desire for puberty to arrive (and quick!) and that god was only invoked in that context.