Audible Spinstering: Judy Blume
The other day I was listening to an episode of Stuff Mom Never Told You, and they were talking about a childhood love of author Judy Blume. I wasn't a big reader as a child, so I had only heard tell of Judy Blume, and mostly as an adult. So, of course I needed to investigate.
I started first with Blume's newest book, In The Unlikely Event. The podcast had described this book as being for an older audience than Blume's previous works. Since I'm not a child, I thought that would probably be a good thing. It was indeed.
Though people may describe In The Unlikely Event as a book for adults, it is written in such a way that anyone older than, say, twelve, would be able to comprehend. This made the book ideal for listening while I worked. The story line was compelling, but I could easily focus on the story and something else. Perhaps, though, the hostesses of Stuff Mom Never Told You meant that the subject matter was a bit more adult. There is definitely some sex in this one, but we're not talking 50 Shades of Grey or anything. Though, now that I think of it, I didn't read that one, so...perhaps I'm not in a position to say. Still, I don't think there will be a media sensation about the graphic nature of a Judy Blume book. It's PG13 at most.
After I listened to In The Unlikely Event, I was curious about Blume's older work. The one I'd heard of most often was Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. The audiobook was incredibly short, so it was an easy followup. Though I don't necessarily relate to the main subject matter of the story (a girl (Margaret) is anxious to become a woman with all it's physical manifestations - I for one, was not looking forward to that), it was a very pleasant listen. I can see, too, how this would be meant for a much younger audience than Blume's most recent work.
Now that I've discovered Judy Blume about 20 years after everyone else my age did, I have to say I get it. And I can't promise you won't find me listening to Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing very soon.
