The Hamilton Spectator

For Judy Blume, success beyond books.

By NICOLE SPERLING

The lunches Judy Blume used to have in Hollywood would all go the same way, she said. “Judy, sweetheart, what would you like to do?” the men would ask — and they were always men. “We want to work with you. How do you want to adapt your books?” This began in the 1970s and continued for decades. She had already sold millions of copies, on her way to her current tally of more than 90 million worldwide.

But she did not know what a Judy Blume movie should be. As the years went on, she kept writing while navigating two tumultuous divorces, newfound fame, and the relentless attacks by the religious right and its crusade to ban her books — books that in Ms. Blume’s quest to honestly depict the teenage experience dared to frankly discuss masturbation, menstruation and sexual desire, topics that made teenagers feel seen.

Some things were produced, including a 1978 made-forTV movie based on the novel “Forever.” In 1991, “Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great” became an ABC Weekend Special directed by her son, Larry Blume. A comedy, “Fudge,” aired on ABC for two years in the mid-’90s.

Yet so much was never made. “Somebody used to say to me, ‘Just wait till all these kids who grew up with you get to those positions of power in Hollywood — you will see,’” said Ms. Blume, now 85. “Of course, that is what happened. And I’m glad I’m still here to see it.”

The Judy Blume Renaissance is upon us. This month, Amazon Prime Video will release “Judy Blume Forever,” a documentary by the filmmakers Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok that tracks the effect that Ms. Blume’s work has had on generations. It features the actress Molly Ringwald, the author Jason Reynolds and the filmmaker Lena Dunham, while also examining the correspondence that Ms. Blume engaged in with thousands of readers, some of which lasted decades and sometimes dealt with issues of personal trauma.

And on April 28, Lionsgate will debut in theaters “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” arguably Ms. Blume’s most beloved novel, about an 11-year-old girl grappling with her developing body while questioning the constraints of organized religion.

It is the novel that Ms. Blume was most reluctant to adapt, but she softened her stance after the filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig (“The Edge of Seventeen”) and the producer James L. Brooks went to Ms. Blume’s home in Key West, Florida, to make their case.

Also in the works are an animated film based on Ms. Blume’s “Superfudge,” which will be produced by Joe and Anthony Russo (“Avengers: Endgame”) for Disney+, and a Netflix series inspired by “Forever” that Mara Brock Akil (“Girlfriends”) will oversee. And the long-gestating “Summer Sisters,” which originally was set up as a Hulu series, is now being produced by Jenna Bush Hager at Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.

Ms. Blume’s novels have served as a guidepost for generations of children who needed answers when their grownups were keeping secrets. By honoring the complex interior lives of young readers, she gave rise to the young adult genre of literature. Yet as beloved as she is — and she is beloved, just ask her husband of 35 years, George Cooper, who talks about fans who come to her bookstore in Key West and burst into tears in her presence — she has never felt truly welcomed by Hollywood when it came to adapting her books into films or television shows.

But now, she is finished writing. Her last book was the 2015 adult novel “In the Unlikely Event,” a fictionalized account of the three plane crashes that occurred in her childhood hometown, Elizabeth, New Jersey, in the span of eight weeks in the early 1950s. Her focus is centered on adapting her works into films and television shows. And she is finally, it seems, receiving the proper recognition in Hollywood.

“I’ve adapted books before, but I’ll never know another stress like doing right by her,” Mr. Brooks said. “You can’t be the person who let down Judy Blume, about anything, ever.”

Susan Rovner, chairman of entertainment content at NBC, who is redeveloping “Summer Sisters” for Peacock, talks about how Ms. Blume’s “Deenie” saved her in her teenage years. As a girl growing up in Roslyn, New York, Ms. Rovner turned to the 1973 book about a 13-year-old with an unfortunate scoliosis diagnosis as a salve, especially in the ’80s when bulky back braces were the butt of jokes.

“So yes, Judy might be right,” she said. “Those books really spoke to women my age. And it’s not until recently that we’ve been in positions of power to do something about it.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES / INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

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2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thespec.pressreader.com/article/282230899956589

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