A review by felinity
Everything I Needed to Know about Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume by Jennifer O'Connell
4.0
I picked this up with some level of expectation, and I wasn't disappointed. Surprised, by the number of women for whom [b:Deenie|37735|Deenie|Judy Blume|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348458671s/37735.jpg|2428922] was so influential, and with fond memories of books like [b:Are you there God It's me Margaret|37732|Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret|Judy Blume|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388356524s/37732.jpg|4121] and [b:Then again maybe I won't|480359|Then Again, Maybe I Won't|Judy Blume|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348558405s/480359.jpg|1337781], I was reminded how [a:Judy Blume|12942|Judy Blume|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1195238650p2/12942.jpg] successfully gets inside the head of 11-14 year old girls, giving her audience someone who understood them, someone who could answer their questions, and reminding adults of what it was like. (I wasn't surprised by those who remembered fondly passing a dog-eared, marked copy of [b:Forever|37743|Forever|Judy Blume|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327962165s/37743.jpg|746503] around in school.)
It's easy, as an adult, to discount her books as "fluff" or light reading, but we shouldn't underestimate their importance in giving a friend to girls with any problems: whether that's growing up, dealing with friends, bullies or both; understanding boys; going through divorce; finding her identity or religion; balancing the needs of various family members; even learning to tolerate an annoying sibling or overprotective parents. She covered it all, and these essays show their gratitude.
It's easy, as an adult, to discount her books as "fluff" or light reading, but we shouldn't underestimate their importance in giving a friend to girls with any problems: whether that's growing up, dealing with friends, bullies or both; understanding boys; going through divorce; finding her identity or religion; balancing the needs of various family members; even learning to tolerate an annoying sibling or overprotective parents. She covered it all, and these essays show their gratitude.