Judith Blume is an American author who writes books for children, teens, and adults. Blume started writing in 1959, and since then she has written more than 25 books. Are You There, God? is one of her best-known books.
It’s Me, Margaret, which came out in 1970, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, which came out in 1972, Deenie, which came out in 1973, and Blubber, which came out in 1974. Blume’s books have made important contributions to books for kids and teens.
In 2023, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most important people in the world. Blume was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and grew up there. In 1961, she got her degree from New York University.
Blume started writing stories as a way to keep herself busy while she was a housewife. Blume was one of the first authors for young adults to write about controversial subjects like masturbation, periods, teen sex, birth control, and death.
Her books have been translated into 32 languages and sold more than 82 million copies. Blume has won a lot of awards for her writing, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association (ALA) in 1996 for her work in young adult books.
She was named a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress and given the 2004 National Book Foundation prize for her important work in American literature. People like and read Blume’s books a lot.
People like them because they teach kids and young adults about their bodies. But Blume’s books have been criticized and talked about in a lot of depth. The American Library Association says that Blume is one of the writers who has been challenged the most in the 21st century.
Blume’s books have been turned into movies and TV shows more than once. Tiger Eyes, which came out in 2012 and starred Willa Holland as Davey, is the most well-known version.
Judy Blume’s Early Life
Judith Sussman was born in New Jersey, USA, on February 12, 1938. Her mother, Judith Sussman Esther, was a housewife, and her father, Rudolph Sussman, was a dentist. Judy and her older brother, who is five years older than her, grew up in a Jewish home.
Judy finished Battin High School in 1956 and went to Boston University. However, she got mononucleosis and couldn’t finish her studies. In 1961, she went to New York University and got a Bachelor of Education.
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Judy Blume’s Net Worth
Judy Blume has a $5 million net worth. Judy Blume is a well-known author who has won many awards over the course of her work. Blume is a prolific writer who has won more than 90 awards for her writing.
She has made important contributions to young adult and children’s books. Her work has been praised for being honest, new, and important to the history of American literature.
In 1994, the American Academy of Achievement gave Blume the Golden Plate Award. This prestigious award is given to people who have made important contributions to their fields. Blume was given the award for her outstanding work in literature.
Blume won the ALA Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1996. This award is given to authors who have made a big difference in young adult writing. Blume’s 1975 book, Forever, was praised for how truthfully it showed high school students in love.
The ALA thought the book was new because it talked about sexuality in an honest and open way, which was rare in young adult books at the time. In 2000, Blume was named one of the Library of Congress’s Living Legends in the Writers and Artists category for her contributions to American writing.
This award goes to people who have made important contributions to the cultural heritage of the United States. Blume was given this award for her lasting effect on the literary world.
Blume has also been praised for her support of free speech and her bravery in the face of censorship. In 2009, the National Coalition Against Censorship gave Blume an award for her lifelong support of free speech and her willingness to fight against censorship in writing.
Career
Blume has always loved to read, and she took her first writing classes at New York University when her children were in preschool. Blume’s first book, The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo, came out in 1969.
It had been turned down by publishers for two years. Blume’s second book, Iggie’s House, came out in 1970. It was originally a story in Trailblazer magazine, but Blume rewrote it and turned it into a book.
The following 10 years were her most productive, with 13 more books coming out. Are You There, God? was her third book. It’s Me, Margaret came out in 1970 and was an instant best-seller and a groundbreaking book for young adults.
God, are you there? It’s Me, Margaret made Judy Blume one of the most important writers for young adults. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (1972), and Blubber (1974) are some of the other books that Blume wrote during the 1970s.
In 1975, Blume wrote the novel Forever, which is now often banned because it was the first book for young adults to show teen sexuality as normal. Blume said that she was moved to write this book when her daughter, who was 13 at the time, told her that she wanted to read a book where the characters have s*x but don’t die afterward.
These books dealt with difficult topics like family problems, bullying, body image, and sexuality. Blume has said that she writes about these things, especially sexuality, because she thinks children need to know about them and because she was curious about them when she was young.
After writing books for kids and teens, Blume moved on to writing about adult life and death. The New York Times Best Seller list put her books Wifey (1978) and Smart Women (1983) at the top. More than 4 million copies of Wifey have been sold.
Summer Sisters, Blume’s third book for adults, came out in 1998 and was a big hit. It sold more than three million copies. Summer Sisters (1998) was a very popular movie, but it got a lot of bad reviews for its sexual material and gay themes.
Several of Judy Blume’s books are among the best-selling kids’ books of all time. As of the year 2020, more than 82 million copies of her books have been sold, and they have been translated into 32 languages.
Even though her last book, “In the Unlikely Event,” came out in 2015, Blume is still writing. In October 2017, Yale University bought Blume’s collection, which had some of his early work that had never been published.
Blume has also fought for books that should not be banned in the United States. In the 1980s, when her books became controversial and were being banned, she reached out to other writers, teachers, and libraries to help her fight censorship.
This made Blume join the National Coalition Against Censorship, whose goal is to protect the freedom to read. Blume is still on the board of the National Coalition Against Censorship as of 2020.
She is also the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charity and education fund. Blume is on the board of other groups like the Authors Guild, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Key West Literary Seminar, and the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Blume and her husband started Books & Books, a non-profit bookstore, in Key West in 2018.
