Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Show Notes:
This week on Jelly Pops Book Club we are reading Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume.
The author interview I talked about in the episode:
2023 Fresh Air with Teri Gross Interview
Judy Blume Forever on Prime Video
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Transcript:
Welcome to jelly pops book club where we read book to screen adaptations and compare them to their screen counterparts I'm your host Julia Washington and on today's show we are getting into are you there God? It's me Margaret by Judy bloom
Okay, let's get into a little bit about the author. Judy Bloom was born in 1938 and is best known for writing such books as Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. She graduated from New York University in 1961. She was married three times, has two children and runs a bookstore with her current husband in Key West, Florida.
She has written 29 books and has sold more than 90 million copies in 39 languages. Honestly, there's so much information out there about Judy Blume that I cannot even begin to do her justice in a quick summary of who she is. So I will link some of the interviews with her that I particularly loved this year in the show notes.
Okay, so the summary of Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret from the Googles. Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret is a middle grade novel by American writer Judy Blume published in 1970. Its protagonist, Margaret Simon, is a sixth grader who grows up without a religious affiliation because of her parents interfaith marriage.
This book was originally published in 1970 and we are reading the special edition that was published on September 15th, 2020, which is 171 pages. On October 1st, 1970, Kyrgyz had this to say, the comical longings of little girls who want to be big girls exercising to the chant of, we must, we must increase our bust.
And the wistful longing of Margaret who talks comfortably to God. for a religion come together as her anxiety to be normal, which is natural enough in sixth grade. And if that's what we want to tell kids, this is a fresh unclinical case in point. Ms. Bloom has an easy way with words and some choice ones when the occasion arises, but there's danger in the preoccupation with the physical signs of puberty.
With growing into a playboy centerfold, the goal here. Though the one girl in the class who's on her way ruse it and with menstruating sooner rather than later, calming Margaret, her mother says she was a late one, but the happy ending is the first drop of blood. The effect is to confirm common anxieties instead of allaying them and counter trends.
Notwithstanding, much is made of that first bra, that first stab of lipstick. More promising is Margaret's pursuit of religion to decide for herself earlier than her. liberal parents intended. She goes to temple with a grandmother to church with a friend, but neither makes any sense to her. 12 is very late to learn.
Fortunately, after a disillusioning sectarian dispute, she resumes talking to God to thank him for that telltale sign of womanhood, which raises the last question. Of a satirical stance in lieu of a perspective end quote. So the movie summary from Google free is this 11 year old Margaret moves to a new town and starts to contemplate everything about life, friendship, and adolescence.
She relies on her mother, Barbara, who offers loving support and her grandmother, Sylvia, who's coming to terms with finding happiness in the next phase of her life. Questions of identity, one's place in the world, and what brings meaning to life soon brings them closer together than ever before. At the time of its release, Variety had this to say, The result is a nostalgia hit with saccharine artificiality.
While that might disappoint Bloom fans, young audiences may not miss the original novel's more honest truths, especially as they've been trained to expect tidy stories where protagonists fix their faults and Here even, gah, assure the adults in the film that they are raising them just fine. Some of the themes we find in this book are friendship, family conflict and religion, identity, and puberty.
With friendship, Margaret's new friends, Nancy, Janie, and Gretchen are in her class, and the four create a secret group called the Pre Teen Sensations, a. k. a. PTSD. Nancy is also Margaret's neighbor, whom she meets shortly after moving in. This clique is ruled by Nancy as she wants to be the head bitch in charge.
But over the course of the school year, Margaret learns a lot about Nancy and her insecurities. Their friendship does go through some trying times of the 12 year old variety. So with family conflict and religion, I'm bundling these two together because from where I sit, the main family conflict stems from religion.
Margaret's parents, Barbara and Herb, are from two different religions. Herb is Jewish and Barbara is Christian. Barbara's parents made it very clear to Barbara that they were uninterested in having a Jewish son in law and essentially cut her out of their lives for marrying Herb. While Sylvia, Herb's mother, isn't thrilled about her son marrying a non Jewish girl, she remains a part of the picture and often can stir things up.
After the family moves from New York, Sylvia shows up at their new home with food, her boundaries are blurred, and while we don't get Two into the details, the examples we do get are very telling, especially to those of us who've had mothers in law. When it comes to identity, while the premise of the book is Margaret speaking directly to God and exploring religion, she is also exploring her own identity.
Since her parents have decided not to raise her with either or both religions, and she's in a new state and still seen as young enough by the adults around her to be told how and what she feels. Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret. It's the beginning of Margaret's exploration of who she is, finding her footing in the new land, if you will.
Friends, family, and religion are all part of the equation of Margaret. Try figuring out who she is and who she wants to be. She observes behavior from Nancy that she decides isn't a quality she likes. She realizes that when her mother, Barbara asks for understanding that this is new because Margaret is the one always asking to be understood when Sylvia insists.
Margaret is a Jewish girl. Margaret says she has no religion, but she didn't come to that decision out of defiance, she came to that decision because of the research she had done on the various religions She has access to. Puberty is another big theme in this. book. Margaret was created in an era before the term tween existed.
She is in preteen territory, worrying about the changes her body will go through, liking boys and wanting to fit in just right with her friends. In the sixth grade, all the girls are shown a movie that discusses menstruation and what that means for them and their bodies. So throughout the book, we get these little stories about Margaret and her friends.
Discussing who's going to tell when they get it, who's going to get it first, who's going to get it last. Are you going to use teenage softies? What's Tampax and are they too young for it? So it really gets into that curiosity young girls have about. Menstruation. You guys, this is an excellent adaptation that stays really close to the source material.
The obvious changes are casting considerations. Janie Loomis is played by Amari Price. Mr. Jacobs is played by Echo Kellum. Freddie Barnett is played by Jacobi Swain. The character of Norman is changed from Norman Fishbin to Norman. Fisher. And honestly, other changes in this, from this book to screen adaptation are so slight, it's hardly recognizable.
But one change that really makes a difference in the story for the better is the scene where Barbara's parents come to visit. So let's set the stage. Now that Margaret's 12 years old, Barbara's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hutchins, are feeling some kind of way for having never been involved. Did they really set aside their antisemitism to make this call?
Probably not. But to Barbara, their efforts are a gesture she appreciates. The problem is, their proposed dates for a visit coincide with when Margaret is supposed to visit her grandmother, Sylvia, in Florida. The family decides to cancel Margaret's trip so she can meet Barbara's parents. Margaret and Sylvia are devastated by this decision.
When the Hutchins arrive, they all sit down to dinner and then have an after dinner chat that leads to an intense discussion about religion resulting in the Hutchins deciding to leave New Jersey and early to spend some time in New York. So let me, let me read that scene to you from the book. My mother really made a fancy dinner, the kind she has when she's entertaining friends.
And I'm sent to bed early. We had flowers on the table and, and a hired lady to wash the dishes. My mother changed into a new dress. And, her hair looked nice too. She didn't look like her parents at all. My grandmother changed her dress too, but still had the cross around her neck. At dinner, we all tried hard to have conversation.
My mother and grandmother talked about old friends from Ohio and who was doing what these days. My grandfather said mostly, please pass the butter, please pass the salt. Naturally, I used my best possible manners in the middle of the roast beef course. My grandfather knocked over his water glass and my grandmother gave him a sharp look.
But my mother said water couldn't possibly hurt anything. The lady from the kitchen wiped it up. During dessert, my mother explained to my grandparents that she had just ordered all new living room furniture and she was sorry they wouldn't be able to see it. I knew she hadn't ordered anything yet, but I didn't tell.
After dinner, we sat around in the den and my grandfather asked my father such questions as, Grandfather, are you still in the insurance business? Father, yes. Grandfather, do you invest in the stock market? Father. Occasionally. Grandfather. This is a pretty nice house. Father. Thank you. We think so too. While my grandmother talked to my mother about...
Grandmother. We were in California over Thanksgiving. Mother. Oh? Grandmother. Yes, your brother has a wonderful wife. Mother, I'm glad. Grandmother, if only they were blessed with a child. You know, they're thinking of adopting. Mother, I hope they do. Everyone should have a child to love. Grandmother, yes, I know.
I've always wanted dozens of grandchildren, but Margaret's all I've got. Then my mother excused herself to pay the lady in the kitchen, who signaled that her taxi was waiting out front. So my grandmother turned to me. Do you like school, she asked. Most of the time, I said. I'm glad. Do you get good marks?
Pretty good, I said. How do you do in Sunday school? My mother came back into the den and sat down next to me. I don't go to Sunday school, I said. You don't? No. Father. That's what grandmother called grandfather. He called, and he, he called her mother. What is it, mother? Grandfather said. Margaret doesn't go to Sunday school.
Grandmother shook her head and played with her cross. Look, my mother said, trying to smile. You know we don't practice any religion. Here it comes, I thought. I wanted to leave the room, but I felt like I was glued to my seat. We hoped by now you'd change your minds about religion, Grandfather
said. Especially for Margaret's sake, Grandmother added. A person's gotta have a religion. Let's not get into a philosophical discussion, my father said annoyed. He sent my mother a warning look across the room. Grandfather laughed. I'm not being philosophical, Herb. Look, my mother explained, we're letting Margaret choose her own religion when she's grown.
If she wants to, my father said defiantly. Nonsense, grandmother said. A person doesn't choose religion. A person is born to it, Grandfather boomed. Grandmother smiled at last and gave a small laugh. So, Margaret is Christian, she announced, like we should all have known. Please, my mother said, Margaret could just as easily be Jewish.
Don't you see? If you keep this up, you're going to spoil everything. I don't mean to upset you, dear, Grandmother told my mother, but a child is always the religion of the mother. And you, Barbara, were born Christian. You were baptized. It's that simple. Margaret is nothing, my father stormed, and I'll thank you for ending this discussion right now.
I didn't want to listen anymore. How could they talk that way in front of me? Didn't they know I was a real person with my own feelings? Margaret, Grandmother said. It's not too late for you, dear. You're still God's child. Maybe while I'm visiting, I could take you to church and talk to the minister. He might be able to straighten things out.
Stop it! I hollered, jumping up. All of you, just stop it. I can't stand another minute of listening to you. Who needs religion? Who? Not me. I don't need it. I don't even need God. I ran out of the den and up to my room. I heard my mother say, Why did you have to start? Now you've ruined everything. I was never going to talk to God again.
What did he want from me anyway? I was through with him and his religions, and I was never going to set foot in the Y or the Jewish Community Center. Never.
In the film, while Barbara is cooking dinner, the doorbell rings. It's Sylvia and her boyfriend, Mr. Binneman, rhymes with cinnamon. The two join for dinner and after dinner conversation. During dinner, Margaret's mother, Barbara, makes a comment about how nice it is to have the entire family around the table.
Because it is! It feels good. It feels good to have everyone you love, people you call family, sitting around the dinner table enjoying each other. Sylvia agrees and She clinks glasses and says, I'm going to, I'm going to butcher the sport. I'm so sorry for butchering the pronunciation. I am not a Jewish person and so therefore for the customs and culture is not something I grew up in.
But Sylvia clinks glasses and says, Mahayim, Mahayim, I think is how you pronounce it. And she says it multiple times, staring directly into Barbara's parents eyes. expecting a clink back and a, and a, and a glasses raised and a toast.
So in the after dinner conversation, we get something pretty much similar to the book, but it becomes an incredibly intense fight more so in the book about what Margaret's religion is, because now we have the factor of Sylvia there as well. And while the movie And the scene is from Margaret's point of view.
We get a glimpse into Barbara's pain over the fracture that was caused by her parents. She takes the blame for Margaret feeling overwhelmed and upset by this incident. Margaret blows up at her family. That is true. But she repeats the phrase, I am nothing. I don't even believe in God and storms out of the room.
After Margaret runs off, all the grandparents are put into cabs and sent on their way. I'm not even doing justice to the scene in the movie. It is so emotionally driven in a way that if you have ever lived in a situation that is interfaith, interracial, different cultures, et cetera, et cetera, it is hard not to relate.
To this type of fighting that is happening in the Simons living room, all that to say I cried because there's so much about interfaith relationships that mirror interrelation, interracial relationships, and I'm not saying that they are exact because they're not race and religion are very, very different, but there is conflict around the two and the duality of one's existence still presents in it.
Still, and the duality of one's existence, whether it's dual religion, dual race, it still presents existential woes. So I loved this movie. And this book so much, the entire movie, there wasn't anything wrong. There's nothing about this film that I want to critique because it's so beautifully done and such a wonderful tribute to this Judy Blume classic.
It's the perfect film to watch with the preteen niece or sister or daughter in your life. The relationship between Barbara and Margaret is so loving and so supportive with the right amount of parental guidance. And while Sylvia doesn't understand boundaries, the relationship between her, Barbara and Margaret is really, truly something special.
The book is wonderful. It's a lovely tale. It's written from the perspective of a 12 year old. feels true. It feels authentic in so many ways. This movie isn't for everyone. This book isn't for everyone, but for those who it is for, it will not disappoint.
All right, trivia. Here we go. This may come as no surprise. This book has been consistently on the banned book list. The American Library Association has this book listed in the top 100. It earned a spot at number 60 in the 1990s from 1999 into the early 2000s. It was. number 100. But since 2019, it has fallen off the challenge book list.
Since the book has continued on for more than 50 years, there have been some updates to the printed version to reflect some societal updates as well. Original editions of the book have Margaret being taught how to wear a menstrual belt to hold her menstrual pad in place. By the 1980s, pads had started including an adhesive that would stick to underwear.
Later editions will reflect this update. The title has been referenced in pop culture for decades as well, and my favorites include an episode of Ted Lasso where Beard says, Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret's little boy. Characters in Lost and Talladega Nights are seen reading the book. And then this bit of trivia I pulled from the IMDb.
B page. And I just love it. At the New York city bus terminal, there are posters for Ethel Merman in Hello Dolly. Merman, who had turned down the opportunity to start in the original production was only in the show from March 28, 1970 to December 27th, 1970. Carol Channing originated this role in 1964. And my absolute favorite bit of trivia is that Judy Blume and her husband make a cameo in this film.
And I love that. She spent decades believing no one could do right by Margaret and this movie truly, truly does. So how wonderful for her to see it come to fruition and to be a part of it.
I don't remember how old I was when I first read Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. And when my mom and I exited the movie theater, she didn't recall ever reading Judy Blume to us as kids. But yet, Judy Blume is a part of my literary memory. I do know that I was probably 15 or 16 when I first read Forever, and it was absolutely the perfect read for me to understand that sometimes something feels like it could last forever, but really it's only meant to be a chapter in our book of life.
Regardless, Judy Blume resonates in a way that decade after decade, hundreds of thousands of readers still relate. So I'm wondering, do you have a fun Judy Blume story? I want to know. You can email the show at popculturemakesmejealous. com. Or you can tell me what is your favorite Judy Blume. When you first found her and found her work and fell in love with her work, I feel that she is a voice of a generation.
But not just a generation. She is a voice for a very specific type of kid. And I love it. If you love this episode or want me to cover a specific book to screen adaptation, then tell us in your review on Apple, the sweetest and best way you can support this show is by rating and reviewing on Apple podcasts.
That lets Apple know we are a show worth listening to, or you can share our shit on Instagram. You can find us there at jelly pops books for September. Our book club pick is the sun is also a star by Nicola Yoon. Here's a bit about the book from the dust cover. Natasha. I'm a girl who believes in science and facts, not fate, not destiny or dreams that will never come true.
I am definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York city street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is 12 hours away from being deported to Jamaica, falling in love with him. Won't be my story. Daniel. I've always been the good son, the good student living up to my parents, high expectations, never the poet.
Or the dreamer, but when I see her, I forget all about that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store for both of us. The universe, every moment in our lives has brought us together to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come first?
Our next book club meeting is Sunday, September 17th via Zoom to join us for the live book club. Chat. You gotta join us on Patreon. For 5 a month, you get access to bonus content, the monthly book club, and voting power on what we read every month. So click that link in our show notes to learn all about it.
Jelly pops book club is a completely independent production and is written and edited by me, your host Julia. And if you want to K I T find me on the gram at the Julia Washington, tell me what you think of Margaret or what shows you're watching. I'm on tick talk to same handle name next week. I am recapping all the books I read this summer and why you might want to read them too.
Thanks for tuning in y'all until next time.
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