Judy Blume

By Annabelle Sebastian

Judy Blume (1938-) is an American novelist and a best-selling young adult author, whose works include titles such as Superfudge (1980), Freckle Juice (1971), and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (1970).

Judy Blume was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on February 12, 1938, where she has set several of her works. In 1959, she graduated from NYU with a degree in education. Blume began her writing career shortly after, when her children entered elementary school. Her books frequently deal with themes of coming of age, anxiety, religion, confusion, and sexuality. Blume’s works have frequently been met with bans on local and state levels across the United States, and today she is an active member of the National Coalition Against Censorship.

Her works have been an integral part of many people’s childhoods, with 29 novels to her name, and over 85 million copies being sold worldwide. She was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2023.

Blume has received many awards and recognitions for her works, such as the addition of her name to the Library of Congress’s Living Legends, the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award.

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References:

“About Judy.” Judy Blume on the Web. Accessed August 14, 2024. https://judyblume.com/about-judy-blume/.

Anderson, Kirsten. Who Is Judy Blume?. New York: Penguin Workshop, 2018.

Fournier, Eddie. 2005. Judy Blume. [Toledo, Ohio]: Great Neck Publishing.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/889215838

Gottlieb, Amy. “Judy Blume.” Jewish Women’s Archive, June 23, 2021. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/blume-judy.

Jewishness in Judy Blume’s Adolescent Fiction.” Shofar (West Lafayette, Ind.) 29, no. 1 (2010): 22-47

Krasner, Jonathan, and Joellyn Wallen Zollman. “Are You There God? Judaism and 

McCarthy, Breanne. “Crash Course: Judy Blume Revisits Her Elizabeth Childhood.” New Jersey Monthly, June 2, 2015. https://njmonthly.com/articles/jersey-living/crash-course-judy-blume-elizabeth-plane-crashes/.

Nault, Jennifer. Judy Blume. New York: Weigl Publishers, 2003.

Nault, Jennifer. 2014. Judy Blume. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/818465708

Ringwald, Molly. “Judy Blume Is on the 2023 Time 100 List.” Time, April 13, 2023. https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269427/judy-blume/.

Tracy, Kathleen A. Judy Blume: A Biography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 

2008. 

Van Allen, Lanny. “An Interview With Judy Blume.” The ALAN Review 20, no. 1 (1992): 9-13.

Suggested Citation:

Sebastian, Annabelle. “Judy Blume.” New Jersey Women’s History, Rowan University Libraries, 2024. https://njwomenshistory.org/biographies/judy-blume/.