Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Judy Blume" in English language version.
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The Genius of Judy, a new book by Rachelle Bergstein, suggests that I was not alone in believing that Judy Blume was the ultimate source of knowledge on all things teenage girl. "Her characters and stories were more than just entertainment," Bergstein writes. "They were a road map."
Blume's stories offered a powerful counterpoint to a culture that sought to limit women's choices by surrounding their bodies and sexuality with shame and stigma—a culture that treated the lives of teenage girls as frivolous and insignificant. She spoke frankly and authentically not only of girls' struggles but also, crucially, of their survival. She offered a glimpse of how beautiful life could be on the other side.
[...]
Predictably, contemporary critics have derided Blume's stories for their heteronormativity—but this is just another way of saying that they depict heterosexuality as the norm, which. . . well, isn't it? This may be one of the stranger side effects of our cultural Great Awokening: stories about the type of relationships that teenage girls are most likely to actually desire are, if not subversive, then at once politically incorrect and profoundly uncool.
[...]
The magic of Blume's work is that she not only gives her characters the freedom to be flawed without being irredeemable but takes for granted their resilience when it comes to navigating disappointment, social pressure, heartbreak. We know that Michael will be okay eventually—as will Katherine, who has the maturity to give him a little grace. In somewhat tediously painting Blume as a warrior against the political right, Bergstein misses a crucial point: Blume rejects the progressive infantilization of women just as surely as she rejected the slut-shaming from the conservative set. Her stories stand in direct opposition to a world in which the path to womanhood is depicted as a minefield, a misery, a time of alienation from your changing body coupled with the horror of being desired by predatory men.
In the world of Judy Blume, being a woman is pretty cool, actually. Getting your period is something to look forward to. Sex is not without risk, but it's also a lot of fun—and falling in love, even more so. It's fine and normal to desire men, and also, men are people with feelings. Regret is survivable, and even valuable, in helping you to make better choices next time.
This is the actual genius of Judy. In a culture defined by the pursuit of perpetual adolescence, the girls in Blume's stories are nothing less than revolutionary: they are excited to grow up.
The Genius of Judy, a new book by Rachelle Bergstein, suggests that I was not alone in believing that Judy Blume was the ultimate source of knowledge on all things teenage girl. "Her characters and stories were more than just entertainment," Bergstein writes. "They were a road map."
Blume's stories offered a powerful counterpoint to a culture that sought to limit women's choices by surrounding their bodies and sexuality with shame and stigma—a culture that treated the lives of teenage girls as frivolous and insignificant. She spoke frankly and authentically not only of girls' struggles but also, crucially, of their survival. She offered a glimpse of how beautiful life could be on the other side.
[...]
Predictably, contemporary critics have derided Blume's stories for their heteronormativity—but this is just another way of saying that they depict heterosexuality as the norm, which. . . well, isn't it? This may be one of the stranger side effects of our cultural Great Awokening: stories about the type of relationships that teenage girls are most likely to actually desire are, if not subversive, then at once politically incorrect and profoundly uncool.
[...]
The magic of Blume's work is that she not only gives her characters the freedom to be flawed without being irredeemable but takes for granted their resilience when it comes to navigating disappointment, social pressure, heartbreak. We know that Michael will be okay eventually—as will Katherine, who has the maturity to give him a little grace. In somewhat tediously painting Blume as a warrior against the political right, Bergstein misses a crucial point: Blume rejects the progressive infantilization of women just as surely as she rejected the slut-shaming from the conservative set. Her stories stand in direct opposition to a world in which the path to womanhood is depicted as a minefield, a misery, a time of alienation from your changing body coupled with the horror of being desired by predatory men.
In the world of Judy Blume, being a woman is pretty cool, actually. Getting your period is something to look forward to. Sex is not without risk, but it's also a lot of fun—and falling in love, even more so. It's fine and normal to desire men, and also, men are people with feelings. Regret is survivable, and even valuable, in helping you to make better choices next time.
This is the actual genius of Judy. In a culture defined by the pursuit of perpetual adolescence, the girls in Blume's stories are nothing less than revolutionary: they are excited to grow up.