Judy Blume Forever

I came upon this documentary purely by accident, and I'm so glad I did. Judy Blume and her books are inextricably linked to my childhood and for that I'm so grateful. The first book I read on my own, for pleasure, was Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, in 1978 at 7 years old. For the next couple years I discovered and devoured the rest of her catalog at that time. It didn't matter to me that most of her books centered on girls. I also became a voracious reader because of Judy, and sought out similar books only a few authors were writing, like Norma Klein and Paula Danziger.

Apart from the documentary's particular meaning to me, it's really well done and incredibly informative and entertaining. Judy is so humble, sweet, open, and thoughtful. A genuinely caring soul. There's a treasure trove of photos and clips from past interviews, and commentary from some well-known Judy Blume fans. I got choked up numerous times learning about all the letters she's received over the last 5 decades and the special correspondence she has with some of her (very lucky) fans.

The ridiculous controversy about some of her books (which caused libraries and bookstores to "ban" anything she wrote) that's waxed and waned over the years is also explored, and it's inspiring to learn how Judy has dealt with that blowback and still manages to stay true to herself.

Watching this wonderful doc also sparked some great memories, and I learned so much about the genesis of many of her works. An absolute must for any Judy Blume fan and really for anyone who grew up appreciating young adult books that spoke to them about certain things we all do but receive mixed messages about. Highest recommendation!

I have to say what a breath of fresh air. You covered so many things from my childhood and my life that you had me one minute crying like a baby then laughing out loud I woke my wife who had fallen asleep next to me a few times. I find myself a parent again in later years and was wondering how to breach all the seen taboo subjects that as a child I had no help in dealing with. I will be investing some time into your books to hopefully not leave my little person blindly fumbling in life at difficult times. I have to say how brave all your guests were on the film to share their experiences and to do it themselves without a mask or fake name. I apologize for the review if it does not read correctly as I am dyslexic and find it hard sometimes to write. Also, my spelling is not the best but Google spelling helps a little. Thank you Judy for being uncensored and you. If you are reading this and think shall I give this a look then the answer is YES 100% ATB Kind regards Derek.

P. S Just a note for Judy "You can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time" and this is OK.

As "Judy Blume Forever" )2023 release; 98 min) opens, today's Judy Blume is reading an excerpt from her 1973 children's book "Deenie", and we see Judy, now 85, running her "Books & Bools" store in Key West. We then go back in time to Judy's upbringing and youth as a Jewish girl, and her keen interest in imagining fictional characters. At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this documentary is co-directed (and co-produced) by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok. Here they assess the life and times of Judy Blume. It's mostly Blume herself talking into the camera and recalling events (such as when she got her first book published and how it changed her life). There are also various talking heads, of which by far the most interesting ones are the women who wrote to Judy Blume to pour out their hearts and their insecurities all these decades ago, and how it affected them (one of them confesses "it literally saved my life". (We learn that Blume was receiving thousands of letter each month.) But this documentary is unintentionally also a very timely reminder that what we are currently witnessing in this country, where MAGA extremists are calling for book bans (among many other things) and defunding of public libraries, is not new. In fact in the early 80s we saw the same thing (and several of Blume's books were banned). What a sad state of affairs that it seems we didn't learn a thing from those events now 40 years later.

"Judy Blume Forever" premiered at this year's Sundance film festival to immediate critical acclaim. There is good reason why this documentary is currently rated 94% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie started streaming on Amazon Prime this past weekend. I had read a positive review in a recent New York Times, and couldn't wait to see it. If you have any interest in Judy Blume or in freedom of speech, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Thoroughly watchable documentary of a beloved author. Never met Judy before but I connected to her through her books. Tiger Eyes being my favorite. The documentary was interesting especially when focused on the backlash her books faced in the Regan era. Also interesting to see was the amount of fan mail she received and that she kept the letters! As usual the "gatekeepers" at Prime same as at Netflix, Hulu, etc made sure to insert their plight into the documentary about a 83 year old woman who writes books. A huge turn off for me, but thankfully I was able to fast forward through certain sections. A must watch if you are a Judy Blume fan.

As someone who grew up with Judy Blume books, this documentary was very important and very powerful. To hear Judy Blume speak so poignantly about her own life in terms of the messages she wanted to share was amazing.

Granted, as a former avid reader of her books, this documentary was very moving. To the uninitiated, it might come off as abrasive. She is honest and upfront with the challenges her life and family held for her.

At one point she discusses the value of the word fuck. Most parents would argue the word doesn't belong in a book meant for children. She provides not only explanation but honest justification for using the word.

Judy Blume changed the world for many young people when books were all we had.