Judy Blume

Infobox Writer
name = Judy Blume

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caption =
birthname = Judy Sussman
birthdate = birth date and age|1938|02|12|mf=y
birthplace = Elizabeth, New Jersey
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = author, novels and short stories
genre = Children's books, Young adult, novels
movement =
notableworks = "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret"
influences=
influenced=
website = http://www.judyblume.com

Judy Blume (born Judy Sussman on February 12, 1938) is a popular American author. She has written many novels for children and young adults which have exceeded sales of 80 million. She is married with three children. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jul/20/news.booksforchildrenandteenagers Mormon who put new life into vampires Sunday July 20 2008 ]

She was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey. [Diskin, Colleen. [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk5JmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MjA0MDgz "Mother Load: Author's beating the ban"] , "The Record (Bergen County)", October 6, 2007. Accessed October 6, 2007. "Blume, who grew up in Elizabeth, told me she meets mothers all the time who say they want to pass her books down to their kids."] Blume received a B.S. degree in Education in 1961 from New York University and started writing while living in the New Jersey communities of Scotch Plains and Plainfield. [Goldblatt, Jennifer. [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/nyregion/14NJ.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&sq= "Blume's Day"] , "The New York Times", November 14, 2004. Accessed February 5, 2008. "It wasn't until after Ms. Blume had gotten her bachelor's degree in education from New York University in 1961, was married and raising her son, Larry, and her daughter, Randy, and living in Plainfield and later Scotch Plains, that she started to commit her stories and characters to paper, cramming writing sessions in while the children were at preschool and at play."]

Career

Blume's novels for elementary schoolers were among the first to tackle such controversial matters as racism ("Iggie's House"), menstruation ("Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret"), divorce ("It's Not the End of the World"), bullying ("Blubber"), masturbation ("Deenie"; "Then Again, Maybe I Won't") and teenage sexuality ("Forever"). Fans of Blume's novels have praised her use of real-life settings, ambivalent endings and gentle humor. Her allegedly ambiguous treatment of moral issues made her at one time a regular target of school library censors and the religious right. Her books are still often challenged in school libraries; in fact, "Forever" was the second most challenged book of 2005, according to the American Library Association. She is recognized as one of the most banned children's authors in the United States [ [http://www.sdsuniverse.info/story.asp?id=35479 Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read] from SDS Universe] which eventually led her to edit a collection of short stories about censorship ("Places I Never Meant to Be: Original Stories by Censored Writers"). Despite ardent attempts at censorship Blume's young adult novels and books for children have sold 65 million copies world wide. [ [http://www.cnn.com/books/dialogue/9805/blume/index.html Judy Blume Release Third Adult Novel] from CNN]

After publishing novels for young children and teens, Blume tackled another genre—adult fiction. Her novels "Wifey" and "Smart Women" shot to the top of "The New York Times" best-seller list. "Wifey" has become a bestseller, with over 4 million copies sold to date. Her latest and third adult novel "Summer Sisters" (1998) was widely praised and has sold more than 3 million copies. [ [http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20070116-000006.html Judy Blume: Mating IQ] from "Psychology Today"] It spent 5 months on "The New York Times" Bestseller list [ [http://www.nationalreview.com/weekend/books/books-lopez093000.shtml Early Blumers:In defense of censorship] from National Review Online] the hardcover reaching #3 [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DE1DA123BF935A2575BC0A96E958260 Best Sellers: August 16, 1998] from "The New York Times"] and the paperback spent several weeks at #1. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E1D71E3EF933A05756C0A96F958260 Paperback Best Sellers: May 30, 1999] from "The New York Times"] [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06E2DF1F30F930A25755C0A96F958260 Paperback Best Sellers: June 12, 1999] from "The New York Times"]

In 2004, Blume was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E6DB1130F936A2575AC0A9629C8B63 Literary Prize for Judy Blume, Confidante to Teenagers] from "The New York Times"] In 1996 the American Library Association selected Blume for its Margaret A. Edwards Award for her contributions to young adult literature. [ [http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious/1996awardwinner.htm Blume's award page] on the American Library Association website] Blume received the Library of Congress "Living Legends" award in the "Writers and Artists" category in April 2000 for her significant contributions to America's cultural heritage.

Bibliography

* "The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo" (Bradbury Press, 1969, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-87888-182-4 ISBN 0-02-711055-9 ISBN 0-440-46731-4
* "Iggie's House" (Bradbury Press, 1970, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-13-450858-0 ISBN 0-440-44062-9
* "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." (Bradbury Press, 1970, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-13-045856-2 ISBN 0-02-710991-7 ISBN 0-440-40419-3
* "Then Again, Maybe I Won't" (Bradbury Press, 1971, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-87888-035-6 ISBN 0-8161-4417-6
* "Freckle Juice" (Four Winds Press, 1971, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-02-711690-5 ISBN 0-440-42813-0
* "It's Not the End of the World" (Bradbury Press, 1972, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-87888-042-9
* "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" (Dutton, 1972, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-525-40720-0 ISBN 1-55736-015-4 ISBN 0-14-230231-7
* "Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great" (Dutton, 1972, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-525-36455-2 ISBN 0-14-230228-7 ISBN 0-14-240099-8
* "Deenie" (Bradbury, 1973, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-87888-061-5 ISBN 0-525-46926-5
* "The Pain and the Great One" (Bradbury, 1974, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-02-711100-8
* "Blubber" (Bradbury, 1974, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-87888-072-0 ISBN 1-55736-025-1 ISBN 0-440-40707-9 ISBN 0-7862-7307-0
* "Forever" (Bradbury, 1975, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-87888-079-8
* "Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself" (Bradbury, 1977, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-87888-113-1 ISBN 0-8161-4448-6 ISBN 0-440-48253-4
* "Wifey" (Putnam, 1978, Paperback Pocket Books) ISBN 0-399-12241-9 ISBN 0-399-15237-7
* "Superfudge" (Dutton, 1980, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-525-40522-4 ISBN 1-55736-014-6 ISBN 0-14-230229-5
* "Tiger Eyes" (Bradbury, 1981, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-87888-185-9 ISBN 1-55736-067-7
* "The Judy Blume Diary" (Dell, 1981) ISBN 0-440-44266-4
* "Smart Women" (Putnam, 1983, Paperback Pocket Books) ISBN 0-399-12840-9 ISBN 0-399-15236-9
* "" (Putnam, 1986, Paperback Pocket Books) ISBN 0-399-13129-9
* "Just as Long as We're Together" (Orchard Books, 1987, Paperback Dell) ISBN 1-55736-046-4 ISBN 0-531-05729-1 ISBN 0-531-08329-2
* "Fudge-a-Mania" (Dutton, 1990, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-525-44672-9 ISBN 0-14-230230-9
* "Here's to You, Rachel Robinson" (Orchard Books, 1993, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-531-06801-3 ISBN 0-531-08651-8
* "Summer Sisters" (Delacorte Books, 1998, Paperback Dell) ISBN 0-385-32405-7
* "Places I Never Meant to Be" [edited by Judy Blume] (Simon & Schuster, 1999) ISBN 0-689-82034-8
* "Double Fudge" (Dutton, 2002, Paperback Penguin 2003) ISBN 0-525-46926-5

ources

* Judy Blume. (1999) "Authors and Artists for Young Adults" (Gale Research), 26: 7-17. Summarizes and extends 1990 article, with more emphasis on Blume's impact and censorship issues. By R. Garcia-Johnson.
* Judy Blume. (1990) "Authors and Artists for Young Adults" (Gale Research), 3: 25-36. Incorporates extensive passages from published interviews with Blume. Great author

References

External links

* [http://www.judyblume.com/menu-main.html Judy Blume's personal website]
*
* [http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/challengedbanned/challengedbanned.htm#mfcb The Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2006] from the American Library Association

Persondata
NAME= Blume, Judy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American author of novels and short stories
DATE OF BIRTH=Birth date and age|1938|2|12|mf=y
PLACE OF BIRTH=Elizabeth, New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=