Judy Blume - by Mark Oppenheimer (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The highly anticipated biography of one of the world's most treasured literary voices, showcasing a life as triumphant and inspiring as the stories she crafted.

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 is known 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invaluable access to her papers and correspondence, and thoughtful analysis of Blume's beloved novels, including early, unpublished works that shed light on the pathbreaking writer she would become.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 1950s 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. Oppenheimer 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.

Review Quotes

"At last-- a biography of Judy Blume that is worthy of its subject. Oppenheimer is a masterful chronicler of Blume's remarkable life and extraordinary impact. Writers and readers alike will leave this work emboldened, inspired, and encouraged." --Tayari Jones, bestselling author of An American Marriage

"What is she like in real life?" this book is for you. Judy Blume: A Life is charming, candid, thoughtful and funny, and perfectly tuned to the zeitgeist of her time, just like her bestselling novels. Judy Blume fans will love this biography!" --Debby Applegate, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, author of Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age

"At last, a real Judy Blume biography is here!--and it's just as warm and interesting and wonderful as you want it to be. Written in a clear and welcoming voice that will sound familiar to anyone who's ever loved a Judy Blume book, Mark Oppenheimer's comprehensive and extensively researched biography brings to vivid life the ups--and sometimes downs--of the groundbreaking author who made Sheila and Peter and Margaret and Fudge feel like real people, with real problems, to generations of readers. Deftly written and packed with stories you've never heard before--including tantalizing glimpses of stories that never saw the light of day--Mark Oppenheimer's Judy Blume is thoughtful, often funny, and never afraid to be reflective or critical--just like Judy Blume herself." --Brian Jay Jones, author of Becoming Dr. Seuss

"This beautiful biography reminded me of the gratitude I always felt reading Judy Blume's books to my daughters, with their good humored portraits of quirky kids and quirky parents doing their best in a stressful world. Oppenheimer brings an insightful, clear-eyed, generous spirit to his portrait, worthy of its subject." --Jonathan Rosen, author of The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions

"Judy Blume by Mark Oppenheimer is a masterpiece of biography, brilliantly illuminating the life of a masterful storyteller. Blume held an unflinching light upon the challenges of growing up and a clear-eyed gaze on the adult world around her as she turned life's trials into literature for multiple generations. Oppenheimer deftly captures Blume's fearlessness in exposing her own vulnerabilities in her books and opens a wider lens to bring the reader into Blume's personal life as she transforms from Sheila the Great to Wifey to tireless censorship activist. Oppenheimer holds his own unwavering light at the singular life of this literary icon, and the reader simply can't look away from this extraordinary and beloved writer." --Amy Gary, author of In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant and Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown

"Always engaging, and often surprising, Mark Oppenheimer's deep dive into the life of one of the most beloved authors of the past century is long overdue. Though Judy Blume will no about draft off of widespread nostalgia for the groundbreaking novelist (it sent me running to my collection of Blume's books to revisit old favorites) it's also an inspiring tale of one woman's abiding belief in herself. An absolute delight." --Anna Holmes, author of The Book of Jezebel: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Lady Things

"[P]aints a picture of a diligent, driven writer seeking a unique voice...A buoyant biography of a writer who redefined young people's literature." --Kirkus Reviews

"What a lovely, tender, and thoughtful book! As a child of the 1970s, I read this almost as avidly as I once read the works of Judy Blume herself. Mark Oppenheimer has captured not only the story but the spirit of Blume as an author, mentor, mother, and fully realized human being. This pairing of biographer and subject has produced something special." --Beverly Gage, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for biography for G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century

About the Author

Mark Oppenheimer is the author of four critically acclaimed books, including Squirrel Hill, Wisenheimer, and Thirteen and a Day. He has taught at NYU, Stanford, Yale, and Washington University in St. Louis, where he is Professor of Practice. Mark lives with his family in New Haven, Connecticut.