Chapter 6: Judy Blume on bouncing balls, biting breasts, and building bookstores

Did you grow up with Judy Blume? My mom says I "found my voice" reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to my sister in the bathtub when I was a little kid. Well, I grabbed that tattered copy and carried it with me down to Key West, Florida where I had the extreme privilege of sitting down with the one and only Judy Blume (@JudyBlume). Join us as Judy shares her three most formative books, how they inspired her, and we pull out some themes relevant to today. Judy and I met on a hot and sweaty day in her Books & Books bookstore … where she works! I'm not joking. Step off your cruise ship and Judy Blume will ring up a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey if you like. We grabbed a little circle table, set it up in front of the bestseller wall you see behind us, and then talked about her most formative books. (As a special bonus, near the end of the chat we get up out of our seats and Judy gives us a walking tour of her store!) In this chapter, Judy and I discuss censorship, why sexy scenes should be kept in books, how to get kids to love reading, the role of bookstores in a community, and a surprise reveal on which book Judy says is the only one she has left to write...  WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: What is one of the greatest gifts parents can give their children? How can a writer create a world that readers can easily fall into with relatable characters? How does Judy free her mind in order to come up with incredibly imaginative stories? What book could Judy not put down in her 20s? Why does Judy prefer not to reread books? How do you recommend the right books to encourage children to love reading? Why aren't there sex scenes in books anymore? What do Judy and Neil disagree on? What's the first thing Judy does once her books are published? What's the only book Judy has left to write? What book did Judy steal... and why? What was Judy's household policy on reading censorship? Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT  You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/6 Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list/