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hyperdontiia 's review for:
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
by Judy Blume
[7/166]
I deeply respect what Judy Blume did for the young adult/pre-YA demographic. Reading this book, I had a sudden understanding that the lushness and social diversity of it likely sprung from such forebears, even if they bear as little relation to each other as Morganucadon does to the diversity of mammals we see today.
(I'm writing these reviews primarily to remind myself what happened during the books. Less so for any actual recommendations. Hence, I can make all the mammalian evolution similes I want.)
That said, my respect gave the story three stars, and that's as many as it's getting. The diary format means most of the storytelling is straightforward, focusing on the events of the story as they happened. It does read like the work of a twelve year old, with the polish of a more refined eye, which is both the book's greatest strength and the source of my inability to get into it. The topics discussed within, such as religion, periods, growing breasts ("we must increase our bust," quoth the pre-teen chorus), crushing on the same guy because he's attractive I guess, personal identity, and identity, are all addressed well and with respect to the target audience. However, having seen the YA market of today, it does feel bare-bones, perhaps even a little sparse in content. There are really no surprises here. That may not be a bad thing, but I definitely just nodded along. (That said, if one thing has changed since the seventies... half of my friends, if not nearly all of them, are either not religious or mixed-religion. I think Margaret would be happy to know that existing in both worlds is not a burden she has to bear alone, someday.)
I deeply respect what Judy Blume did for the young adult/pre-YA demographic. Reading this book, I had a sudden understanding that the lushness and social diversity of it likely sprung from such forebears, even if they bear as little relation to each other as Morganucadon does to the diversity of mammals we see today.
(I'm writing these reviews primarily to remind myself what happened during the books. Less so for any actual recommendations. Hence, I can make all the mammalian evolution similes I want.)
That said, my respect gave the story three stars, and that's as many as it's getting. The diary format means most of the storytelling is straightforward, focusing on the events of the story as they happened. It does read like the work of a twelve year old, with the polish of a more refined eye, which is both the book's greatest strength and the source of my inability to get into it. The topics discussed within, such as religion, periods, growing breasts ("we must increase our bust," quoth the pre-teen chorus), crushing on the same guy because he's attractive I guess, personal identity, and identity, are all addressed well and with respect to the target audience. However, having seen the YA market of today, it does feel bare-bones, perhaps even a little sparse in content. There are really no surprises here. That may not be a bad thing, but I definitely just nodded along. (That said, if one thing has changed since the seventies... half of my friends, if not nearly all of them, are either not religious or mixed-religion. I think Margaret would be happy to know that existing in both worlds is not a burden she has to bear alone, someday.)