Judy Blume

Judith Marcia Blume (née Sussman; born February 12, 1938) is an American writer of children's, young adult, and adult fiction. She began writing in 1959 and has published more than 26 novels. Among her best-known works are Superfudge, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (1970), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Deenie (1973), Blubber (1974) and Double Fudge (2002). Blume's books have significantly contributed to children's and young adult literature. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.

Blume was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and graduated from New York University in 1961. Seeking to explore a creative outlet that would complement her role as a homemaker, Blume began writing stories. Blume was one of the first young adult authors to write novels focused on such controversial topics as masturbation, menstruation, teen sex, birth control, and death. Her novels have sold over 82 million copies and have been translated into 32 languages.

Blume's novels have been praised for teaching children and young adults about their bodies. However, in the United States, the topics of her works have generated criticism, controversy There have been several film adaptations of Blume's novels, including Tiger Eyes, released in 2012 with Willa Holland starring as Davey,

Early life and education Blume was born Judith Marcia Sussman on February 12, 1938, and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey in a Jewish family, the daughter of homemaker Esther Sussman (née Rosenfeld) and dentist Rudolph Sussman. Blume described her upbringing as culturally rather than religiously Jewish.

Blume witnessed hardships and death throughout her childhood.

Throughout her childhood, Blume was actively involved in many creative activities such as dance and piano. A few weeks into the first semester, she was diagnosed with mononucleosis and took a leave from school. The Blumes lived in New York City prior to having children. Following two years of publisher rejections, Blume published her first book, The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo, in 1969. followed by her second book, Iggie's House (1970), which was adapted from a story she wrote for Trailblazer magazine.

In 1975, Blume published Forever, which depicted teen sex as normal. Blume explained that she was inspired to write this novel when her daughter, 13 years old at the time, said she wanted to read a book where the characters have sex but do not die afterward. These novels tackled complex subjects such as family conflict, bullying, body image, and sexuality. Despite its popularity, Summer Sisters (1998) faced a lot of criticism for its sexual content and inclusion of homosexual themes. Several of Blume's books appear on the list of top all-time bestselling children's books. As of 2020, her books have sold over 82 million copies and they have been translated into 32 languages.

As well as writing, Blume has been an activist against the banning of books in the United States. The element in her work readers are said to love most is Blume's openness and honesty regarding issues like divorce, sexuality, puberty, and bullying. For example, Deenie (1973) explained masturbation and Forever (1975) taught young women about losing their virginity. It’s Not the End of the World (1972) helped many kids understand divorce and the Fudge book series explored the various aspects of loving siblings despite the rivalry. When her first books were published in the 1970s, Blume has recalled facing little censorship. Since 1980, Blume's novels have been a central topic of controversy in young adult literature. Critics of Blume's novels say that she places too much emphasis on the physical and sexual sides of growing up, ignoring the development of morals and emotional maturity. Forever is censored for its inclusion of teen sex and birth control. Blume recalls that the principal of her children's elementary school would not put Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret in the library because the story involves menstruation. Forever is the story of two teenagers in high school, Katherine Danziger and Michael Wagner, who fall in love for the first time. The series starred Jake Richardson as Peter Warren Hatcher, the storyteller, and Luke Tarsitano as Farley Drexel "Fudge" Hatcher. This was the first of Blume's novels to be turned into a theatrical feature film. Tiger Eyes is the story of a teenage girl, Davey, who struggles to cope with the sudden death of her father, Adam Wexler. The screenplay was co-written by Blume and her son, Lawrence Blume, who was also the director.

Blume is the subject of the 2018 song "Judy Blume" by Amanda Palmer. Thematically, the song explains to the listener Blume's role in Palmer's adolescent life.

Blume is the subject of the Peabody Award-winning documentary Judy Blume Forever, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. was released as a feature film, directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, in 2023.

In 2025, Blume's novel Forever was adapted into a Netflix series show.

Personal life After returning to New Jersey, Blume gave birth to her daughter, Randy Lee Blume, in 1961 and became a homemaker. She gave birth to her son Lawrence Andrew Blume in 1963. When Blume's children began attending school, she began pursuing creative outlets, initially with felt art, some of which she sold to Bloomingdale's in New York City, before turning to writing. They got divorced in 1978.

In 1987 Blume met George Cooper, a Columbia University law professor turned non-fiction writer. They were married in 1987. Cooper has one daughter from a previous marriage, Amanda, to whom Blume is very close. Six weeks after her diagnosis, Blume underwent a mastectomy and breast reconstruction.

Her daughter Randy Blume became a therapist with a sub-specialty in helping writers complete their works. She has one child, Elliot Kephart, who is credited with encouraging his grandmother, Judy Blume, to write the most recent "Fudge" books. Lawrence Blume is now a movie director, producer, and writer. As of 2021, Cooper and Blume resided in Key West, where they co-own a bookstore located in the arts center within The Studios of Key West.

Awards and honors Judy Blume has won more than 90 literary awards, including three lifetime achievement awards in the United States. The ALA Margaret A. Edwards Award recognizes one author who has made significant contributions to young adult literature. Blume won the annual award in 1996 and the ALA considered her book Forever, published in 1975, was groundbreaking for its honest portrayal of high school seniors in love for the first time. Blume received an honorary doctor of arts degree from Mount Holyoke College and was the main speaker at their annual commencement ceremony in 2003. In 2004 she received the annual Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Medal of the National Book Foundation for her enrichment of American literary heritage. In 2009, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) honored Blume for her lifelong commitment to free speech and her courage to battle censorship in literature. In 2020, Blume was named an Honoree for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community by the Authors Guild Foundation. 1970: Outstanding Book of the Year from The New York Times for Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret 1974: Outstanding Book of the Year from The New York Times for Blubber 1981: Children’ Choice Award from the International Reading Association and Children's’ Book Council for Superfudge 1983: Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award 1984: Carl Sandberg Freedom to Read Award, from the Chicago Public Library 1986: Civil Liberties Award from the Atlanta Civil Liberties Union 1988: South Australian Youth Media Award for Best Author 2005: Time magazine All-Time 100 Novels List for Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret 2009: University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for lifelong contributions to children's literature 2010: Inducted into New Jersey Hall of Fame 2010: Inducted into Harvard Lampoon 2011: Smithsonian Associates: The McGovern Award 2013: Chicago Tribune: Young Adult Literary Prize 2013: New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Legacy Award 2013: The NAIBA Legacy Award 2013: Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) Award 2013: National Coalition of Teachers of English (NCTE) National Intellectual Freedom Award 2015: Catholic Library Association: Regina Award 2018: Carl Sandburg Literary Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation 2025: Women's National Book Association: WNBA Award

Biography Journalist Mark Oppenheimer published a biography called Judy Blume: A Life with publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons in 2026. Then Again, Maybe I Won't (1971) It's Not the End of the World (1972) Deenie (1973) Blubber (1974) Forever... (1975) Tiger Eyes (1981) Just as Long as We're Together (1987) Here's to You, Rachel Robinson (1993) Places I Never Meant to Be (1999)

Non-fiction books The Judy Blume Diary (1981) Letter to Judy: What Your Kids Wish They Could Tell You (1986) The Judy Blume Memory Book (1988)