Mod 2: Are You There, God, It’s Me, Margaret Review

What's It All About?

                                                             

Growing up is confusing. Who are you? When will all the “big things” start happening to me? What do I believe in? Am I normal? Margaret asks God these questions and so many more as she faces big changes such as a move from New York City to the suburbs and trying to fit in with her new friends. Margaret finds that the one person she always feels comfortable talking to is always there to listen even if she can’t see him.

What'd I Think?

I never had the pleasure of reading this as a child. Not because I wasn't allowed to or because it was banned from my school library either. It simply just was one of the many random books that EVERYONE has read that I kind of just... missed. I could tell though, as an adult reading it, that it would have been a pertinent book for me to have read at around 11 or 12 years old. Periods were scary things to talk about. I hadn't been baptized as a Catholic like everyone else in my family and the choice was left to me to make. I think a lot of the questions Margaret had fit with what I was curious about. I like that it was open and honest. It didn't make mentioning your period feel so taboo. It's natural. Same thing with getting a bra. We all hit puberty and have to deal with the changes that happen with our bodies so why are we so scared to have frank, factual conversations so that we aren't left confused and misled by others who don't have actual facts themselves?

I give it 4 out of 5 stars!

What'd They Think?

Changing Times -

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret,  by Judy Blume (Dell; $1.25, $1.50 for a larger edition). An Adolescent's worries about growing up are the subject of her private conversations with God. (Ages 12 and up.) 

BOOKS YOUR KIDS WILL WANT TO READ. (1978). Changing Times (Pre-1986), 32(11), 23. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199109437?accountid=7113

Booklist - 

"For me, it all started with Judy Blume, who asked, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. Sure, Margaret was fixated on menstruation and breasts. But those concerns paled in comparison to the absurdity of socializing at boy-girl parties, looking for religion, and buying a bra, by itself the most ridiculous activity in which a woman, budding or otherwise, can engage."

She Reads...Humor. (2008). Booklist, 104(15), 29.

What Do I Do With It?

Those reading the book can fill out blank, anonymous slips of paper with ANY questions they have regarding puberty. These will then be answered the next class  or meeting period. Because the questions are asked anonymously and drawn from a box, no one knows who has asked it. This helps alleviate some of the embarrassment some may still feel about asking the questions. Hopefully this leads to more children feeling comfortable asking questions they may think of during this additional lesson.