Mark Oppenheimer: Judy Blume's underappreciated role in the Jewish literary canon

Judy Blume, the acclaimed author of young people's novels, saw resurged interest in her work in 2023. One of her most famous books, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, hit the big screen as an acclaimed feature-length film; that same year, Amazon released a documentary about her, Judy Blume Forever. Meanwhile, Mark Oppenheimer—a writer, podcaster, editor and teacher at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics—was asked by the author herself to write her biography. Months after the Blume bonanza, Oct. 7 happened. And while this has little bearing on the public's appreciation of Blume work, The CJN's opinion editor, Phoebe Maltz Bovy, got to wondering: would the world be so excited about a Jewish writer (who writes openly Jewish characters) if her movies were slated for 2024 instead? It's one of many questions Maltz Bovy asks Oppenheimer on this week's episode of The Jewish Angle, which hones in on Blume's role in the broader Jewish literary canon. Despite selling around 90 million copies of her books, and even after the revived interest in her work, Blume is rarely granted the same literary standing as her Jewish male contemporaries. But Oppenheimer's book, Judy Blume: A Life, which comes out March 10, may help to change that. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: " Gypsy Waltz " by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle