Judy Blume

In this multidimensional portrait, Mark Oppenheimer explores Judy Blume’s middle-class 1950s upbringing, complicated childhood, varied relationships and marriages, unabashed sexual experiences, bouts of heartache and loss, and her enduring legacy as a champion of free speech and contemporary literature.

Drawing from extensive interviews with Blume herself, access to her papers and correspondence, and analysis of her novels including early unpublished works, Oppenheimer reveals the complex woman behind the iconic persona who revolutionized young adult literature with frank, candid stories about menstruation, wet dreams, and everyday childhood experiences.