The Genius Of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood For All Of Us

  • Author: Rachelle Bergstein
  • Narrator: Mia Barron
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  • Duration: 7:50:32
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Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

An intimate and expansive look at Judy Blume’s life, work, and cultural impact, focusing on her most iconic—and controversial—young adult novels, from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. to Blubber.

Everyone knows Judy Blume.

Her books have garnered her fans of all ages for decades and sold tens of millions of copies. But why were people so drawn to them? And why are we still talking about them now in the 21st century?

In The Genius of Judy, her remarkable story is revealed as never before, beginning with her as a mother of two searching for purpose outside of her home in 1960s suburban New Jersey. The books she wrote starred regular children with genuine thoughts and problems. But behind those deceptively simple tales, Blume explored the pillars of the growing women’s rights movement, in which girls and women were entitled to careers, bodily autonomy, fulfilling relationships, and even sexual pleasure. Blume wasn’t trying to be a revolutionary—she just wanted to tell honest stories—but in doing so, she created a cohesive, culture-altering vision of modern adolescence.

Blume’s bravery provoked backlash, making her the country’s most-banned author in the mid-1980s. Thankfully, her works withstood those culture wars and it’s no coincidence that Blume has resurfaced as a cultural touchstone now. Young girls are still cat-called, sex education curricula are getting dismissed as pornography, and entire shelves of libraries are being banned. As we face these challenges, it’s only natural we look to Blume, the grand dame of so-called dirty books. This is the story of how a housewife became a groundbreaking artist, and how generations of empowered fans are her legacy, today more than ever.

Chapters

  • 001 TheGeniusOfJudy Open

    Duration: 28s
  • 002 TheGeniusOfJudy Preface

    Duration: 14min
  • 003 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter1

    Duration: 20min
  • 004 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter2

    Duration: 15min
  • 005 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter3

    Duration: 19min
  • 006 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter4

    Duration: 24min
  • 007 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter5

    Duration: 17min
  • 008 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter6

    Duration: 14min
  • 009 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter7

    Duration: 12min
  • 010 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter8

    Duration: 16min
  • 011 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter9

    Duration: 26min
  • 012 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter10

    Duration: 31min
  • 013 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter11

    Duration: 16min
  • 014 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter12

    Duration: 14min
  • 015 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter13

    Duration: 14min
  • 016 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter14

    Duration: 14min
  • 017 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter15

    Duration: 18min
  • 018 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter16

    Duration: 14min
  • 019 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter17

    Duration: 14min
  • 020 TheGeniusOfJudy Chapter18

    Duration: 17min
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