Judy Blume : a life / Mark Oppenheimer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Oppenheimer, Mark, 1974- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Blume, Judy.

Authors, American--20th century--Biography.

Authors, American.

Women authors, American--Biography.

Women authors, American.

Children's literature--Authorship.

Children's literature.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

viii, 469 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, [2026]

Summary:

"The definitive biography of one of the world's most beloved literary voices, showcasing a life as triumphant and inspiring as the stories she crafted"-- Provided by publisher.

"To know the name Judy Blume is to know and love literature. Her influential novels turned classics -- including Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing; Deenie; and Summer Sisters -- touched the lives of tens of millions of readers. For more than fifty-five years her work has done something revolutionary: it rewired the world's expectations of what literature for young people can be -- frank, candid, earthy, and unafraid to show the messier sides of humanity. But little has been written about the real woman behind the iconic persona and the unlikely journey of her literary ascension, until now. In Judy Blume, journalist, historian, and longtime Blume aficionado Mark Oppenheimer pens a beautiful, multidimensional portrait of the acclaimed author through extensive interviews with Blume herself, invaluable access to her papers and correspondence, and thoughtful analysis of Blume's beloved novels, including early, unpublished works that shed light on the pathbreaking writer she would become. Oppenheimer goes deep, exploring Blume's middle-class 1940s upbringing, complicated childhood, varied relationships and marriages, unabashed sexual experiences, bouts of heartache and loss, and enduring legacy as a champion of free speech and contemporary literature. He peels back the curtain to reveal the woman behind the literary empire in all her complex, multifaceted glory -- a true gift for anyone who grew up reading and loving these extraordinary books."-- Book jacket flap.

Contents:

Introduction

1938-1948

1948-1950

1950-1953

1953-1956

1956-1959

1959-1961

1961-1966

1967

1968

1969-1970

1970-1971

1972-1974

1975

1975-1976

1976-1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983-1984

1985-1986

1987

1988-1989

1990-1994

1995-1996

1997-1998

1999-2008

2009-2014

2015-2019

2020-2024

Epilogue.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 417-455) and index.

ISBN:

9780593714447

059371444X

OCLC:

1523906645