She was the one who really pioneered the YA category, writing novels for teens and young adults who were ready to move up the literary ladder. The documentary moves chronically, starting with Judy’s struggles to find her niche as a writer, and then hitting her stride with “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”. It helped that she herself was a mother, who took inspiration from her children’s life events and situations. She was an adult who managed to capture the realism of a young person’s life, so many readers felt that they could trust her with their secrets and pick her brain for nuggets of wisdom. Young people from all around the world would write to her about their problems, because of the authenticity of her books. What is immediately so striking is how long lasting her correspondence with her readers were. That is the essence of this Judy Blume documentary – not merely about Judy’s life but the power and impact of her stories. “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” was an important coming of age story not only for me, but so many of us growing up.

She tackled taboo subjects with nuance and sensitivity, and I’m glad that I had her books to turn to when there was no one else. It was in a Judy Blume book that I learned about periods, and felt less alone because I realised that all young people have insecurities about their bodies.

Other times you would be reprimanded as being too young to be privy to such ideas. And oftentimes, you feel such shame for the questions you had, especially since no one wanted to talk about it. As someone who was born in the 80s and went through adolescence in the 90s, if you wanted information, you only had three avenues: your parents, your teachers, and books.

Forever book by judy blume