Five minutes into watching Judy Blume Forever, the new documentary about the beloved American children’s book author, and I’m in tears. There was something about watching Blume, now in her 80s, look back at her personal and professional life with trademark frankness and humour that made me emotional.
The documentary — alongside a recent, well-received film adaptation of her bestselling book, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret — has put Blume in the spotlight again. And though the screen adaptation won’t be theatrically released in India, it has die-hard fans like myself in the subcontinent basking in what’s being called a ‘Blume Renaissance’.
I first read Blume as a 12-year-old who had only just moved to Chennai. While I can’t quite remember which of her books I read first, I do vividly recall how I felt when I read them. Understood. I was a fish out of water at my new school and as a late bloomer myself, I identified with 12-year-old Margaret Simon, the protagonist of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. I found comfort in her intense desire to develop breasts and get her first period, which she conveyed to God through her nightly prayers. Because what else is God there for, if not to help those in need?
