Some of Judy Blume's books are nearly 50 years old, and they're suddenly everywhere, as is the writer. The documentary about her life and work "Judy Blume Forever," premiered at Sundance and is now streaming on Prime Video. At the same time, the feature film adaptation of her novel "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" – starring Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates – is arriving in theaters.
So too the climate of moral panic that dogged Blume's work in the 1970s and '80s has returned. The banning, censorship and criticism of children's books has reached a fever pitch. Books have been stripped from the shelves. Libraries and writers alike have been threatened with persecution. According to TIME, which quoted a new report from PEN America, "book bans in the U.S. have reached their highest levels yet."
