Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

A reread. I know I read this as a kid (and from the state of my childhood copy, probably more than once), and I remember having sort of lukewarm feelings about it. Others of Judy Bloom's (particularly [Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself]) were absolute favorites, but this one I don't think I liked as much. I mostly remembered the stuff the book is known for (frank discussion of periods and of the adolescent girl characters' desire for their breasts to grow), though there are other things here the book gives equal weight (the difficulties of being "no religion" for an eleven-year-old girl in 1970s New Jersey; family dynamics). I think as a pre-pubescent kid I didn't warm to the book because I looked on the looming changes of puberty show more with a kind of resigned dread. I might have wanted to grow up in order to have more autonomy and control over my life, but I had no interest in the physical changes that would come with it (and I *certainly* wasn't doing any dubious exercises to get my breasts to grow. Pain in the ass, breasts.) I was a kid who would have been thrilled if puberty had just held it's horses for a couple of years until I would have been more ready for it. Alas. So it was probably hard for me to relate to these girls who seemed solely focused on "getting it," and while as a kid I loved reading books about experiences that were not my own, this one just fed my suspicion (common, I'm sure) that I wasn't doing growing up and being a girl "right." Upon this reread, while I love the fact that the book talks about periods and developing bodies openly (and provides, through the experiences of the several girls in the book, a few different illustrations of what getting a period for the first time might be like), it struck me starkly how none of the girls in the book cares about anything else aside from puberty and boys. They have no interests. They don't talk about anything else. Then there's the other thing the book is about: Margaret's struggle growing up with parents who want her to choose her own religion (or continue having no religion) when she's older. This scenario came about because her mother was Christian and her father Jewish and there was a schism in her mother's family when she married a Jewish man. Margaret talks to God about this struggle and takes it upon herself to go to different churches and temple with her friends and paternal grandmother. But the examination of religion is completely surface-level. There's nothing about what anyone believes or what it means to anyone to have a religion. The closest we get is Margaret's maternal grandmother, in an ill-fated reunion with her daughter's family, declaring that you don't choose religion, you're born into it. But the hollow religious experimentation just sort of comes to nothing. It's a big question to deal with, especially in a short middle grade book, and I think it's appropriate for the age range the book is aimed at for there to be some ambiguity and sense that there may not be a right answer, but that isn't the feeling I was left with. It feels more like a null conclusion than an ambiguous one. I know this book has achieved classic status, and I think in some ways that is deserved. It's important for girls (and boys) to know about female puberty, and the implicit lesson here that periods are thing that you can talk about is vital. But ultimately, for me, it still felt slightly alienating and hollow. show less

As a senior citizen, I must admit that I found the thought of eagerly anticipating your first period bizarre. I relate better to eagerly anticipating your last one!

Reading this book was a wonderful trip down memory lane. Margaret is such a delightful and real character and I used to be a lot like her. It's easy to see why this book stands the test of time. Great writing, good pacing and a wonderful hero in Margaret.

Oh, Margaret, how you've brought back all those awkward, cringe-worthy, yet somehow endearing moments of my preteen years! Reading this in my mid 20's felt like opening a time capsule buried in the back of my childhood closet, right next to a stack of diaries with tiny locks and a collection of Britney Spears CDs.

Judy Blume, you've nailed it again with your uncanny ability to tap into the mind of an eleven-year-old, desperately trying to navigate the complex world of friendships, family dynamics, and that awkward first encounter with a menstrual pad (yikes!).

As Margaret converses with God, seeking guidance on everything from religious identity to the pressing question of when she’ll finally need a proper bra, I found myself laughing show more out loud, not just at her earnestness but at the memories of my own similar dilemmas. Who knew that the existential crisis of choosing between pads and tampons could be so hilarious?

Whether you're revisiting this book as a nostalgic adult or discovering it as a curious tween, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret serves up a delightful mix of humor and heartfelt moments. It’s a reminder that while growing up is fraught with confusion, it’s also filled with moments of pure comedy.

So, here’s to you, Margaret. Thanks for reminding me that the journey to adulthood is a bit like a group project in gym class—awkward, occasionally embarrassing, but better with friends. And God? If you’re listening, a little heads up on the next embarrassing moment would be much appreciated! show less

I thought I was running late for Banned Book Week, but turns out I'm running early, as it doesn't start until Oct. 1 this year. Regardless of my timing, here's a book that's been banned and challenged frequently by the closed-minded over the last fifty years. Through secondhand knowledge, I always thought the bans were just because it mentioned menstruation, but in reading the book I find also that the main character is an agnostic who struggles with her exploration of organized religion and the varied opinions of her friends and relatives.

Menstruation and religion, now there's a cocktail that book banners are gonna choke on.

The book itself is quite fine, giving its topics a reasonable if too-short examination. It perhaps crams in a few show more too many other things -- bras, rumors, classroom dynamics, estrangement -- and forces the plot to exactly fill a school year (one of my biggest pet peeves with children's literature) rather than letting the story find its own rhythm. But there were some chuckles, some drama, and a warm feeling of happiness upon finishing.

I look forward to checking out the recent movie adaptation now. show less

Margaret Simon is experiencing big life changes: a new house, a new school, and what feels like a new body. On top of that, she's trying to figure out what her faith means amidst the many conflicting opinions that surround her. Her mother was a Protestant, her father once was a Jewish believer, and both renounced their faiths. Margaret feels a close connection to God, but she struggles to understand these different religious incarnations.

Even though she hasn't figured it out yet, Margaret still has a lot of help to ask from God: to let her dance with the cutest boy in her class, to help her decide whether to go to the Y or the Jewish Community Center, and most of all to let her get her period before every other girl in her class does! show more Margaret faces her challenges with humor, spunk, and teenage sensibility.

I was drawn to the vulnerable and spirited Margaret, and laughed at the strengths and foibles of her teenage years. The fact that Margaret thinks she is abnormal because she hasn't started her period at an ancient twelve years old is hilarious. The other 'obstacles' that she encounters are equally funny and touching. Every woman and teenage girl can relate to them. Even as we laugh at or with Margaret, we also sorrow and suffer with her, we know that her experiences are real even if they are melodramatic; when we are the one dealing with problems in life, they all feel like the most important crisis to emerge, be they trivial or major, teen girl angst or the death of a loved one.

The element in this book that most intrigued me, though, was Margaret's struggle to understand her faith and how it relates to religion. Her appreciation of God, and her pure relationship with Him, reflects to me the true nature of faith. Margaret's innocent understandings are both wise and to the heart of what a relationship to God could look like. A lovely book, funny and poignant, that deals with both flippant and serious matters in life. show less

Godamn, this book... What a fucking rollercoaster of societal pressure and pretty damn accurate account of white, suburban, religious teenagehood while being raised female. Dangerous romanticization of what it "should" mean to become a woman. I learned a lot from this book as a kid, which was good, but I also gleaned an understanding of what U.S. society expects of women that was unhealthy, unrealistic, and limiting for me as an individual.

Although dated as far as a lack of racial diversity, otherwise much of the decades old subject matter here is similar to what’s found in current contemporary middle-grade stories, navigating friendships, trying to fit in, first crushes, and the changes in your body and the judgment that sometimes comes with those changes.

Where this book goes its own way is in it’s exploration of religion which it doesn’t do in much detail nor does it force any one faith on the reader or even on Margaret. I thought it was interesting to see Margaret’s parents give her the freedom to figure out what if any religion works for her and that journey she’s on as well as the estrangement due to religion in her family are things I haven’t encountered show more all that often in children’s fiction.

Some readers may find the writing style here is too simple for their taste, but the lack of pretension and the way it doesn’t go overboard with descriptions felt right in capturing the voice of an average kid.

The one area I’m torn over is the ending, on one hand, it’s a realistic match for the slice of life tone to not really have any finality to it, on the other hand I craved a slightly more satisfying, less abrupt wrap up. show less