Published more than 40 years ago, Blume's exploration of tween angst still rings true. Yes, parts of it are dated — can't imagine anyone relating to a square dance these days — but Blume captures the desperation of every girl who feels she's not normal. Stuffing bras, anyone? :)
It brought back memories of the day my mother made me tell my father that I was now a woman. Talk about humiliating!
And that film we all had to see? Who can forget learning that your reproductive system looks like a ram's head?
Have to admire Blume for writing a book that addresses tween angst and choosing a religion, though I feel that particular aspect was less well developed. For someone working on a school project about faith, Margaret's investigations felt shallow, just attending Mass and temple a few times and deciding she didn't feel God's presence.
Even so, it's a brave concept and Blume has taken a lot of heat for it, earning a spot on the ALA's top 100 challenged books. Understandable, given that religion is one of the most heated topics in any decade, but banning a book because it talks about breasts and menstruation? Ridiculous.
Have you read it?
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