Despite selling over 90 million books worldwide, Judy Blume’s honest, coming-of-age stories have faced relentless censorship. On Your Radical Truth, host Margaret Mary O’Connor welcomes author and cultural commentator Rachelle Bergstein to explore the bold legacy – and the backlash – behind one of America’s most banned writers.
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A Mirror of Truth in a Humble Paperback
Rachelle Bergstein, author of The Genius of Judy, joined the podcast to unpack why Blume’s work continues to resonate across generations. “I grew up reading
Judy Blume,” Rachelle said. “And when you say her name to women my age, their eyes light up.” That visceral reaction, she explained, launched her journey into researching Blume’s cultural imprint.
Blume’s stories gave voice to the unspoken. For young girls navigating puberty, identity, and family turmoil, her books offered a rare mirror of truth. And they still do – especially for today’s parents wondering what stories will resonate with their children.
Books That Spoke When Adults Stayed Silent
In the 1970s and ’80s, Judy Blume dared to write what others wouldn’t. From Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret to Forever, her books explored periods, sexuality, and growing pains in language that felt real and unfiltered. For many young readers, especially girls, these books were often the only source of honest information.
“She filled a void,” said Rachelle, noting how parents in Blume’s era were often reluctant to talk about sensitive topics. Even today, she argues, Blume’s work remains a safer, more thoughtful alternative to the flood of unfiltered content kids might find online.
Attacked, Censored, Yet Unshaken
Judy Blume’s truth-telling didn’t come without a price. In the 1980s, her books became prime targets of conservative groups. Critics dismissed her as a “two-time divorcee,” weaponizing her personal life against her professional voice. But Blume endured, receiving tens of thousands of letters from young readers thanking her for telling the truth when no one else would.
“They confided in her,” Rachelle explained. “She was like a mother figure for kids who didn’t trust the adults in their lives.”
A Dangerous New Era of Erasure
Margaret Mary and Rachelle delved into a chilling modern reality: the return of book bans and a rise in historical erasure. Today, libraries, websites, and even museums are being purged of content related to Black leaders and women in power. Rachelle called it what it is – authoritarian. “This isn’t just censorship. It’s erasure.”
Unlike the grassroots bans of the ’80s, today’s efforts are backed by legislation. In some states, teachers and librarians can now be prosecuted for the books they provide. “It’s ideological control disguised as moral concern,” she said.
Writing Against the Current
Judy Blume wasn’t out marching – but she was watching. As women demanded equality in the streets, Blume translated that energy into her stories. “She grew up in the 1950s, did everything ‘right’ – married young, raised kids – and still felt like her life was over by her mid-twenties,” Rachelle shared.
Blume’s creative rebellion – writing books that dared to reflect girls’ real thoughts – was part of the broader shift that gave rise to the modern feminist voice.
From Nostalgia to Relevance
While today’s kids have a wide array of reading options, many parents are reintroducing Judy Blume’s books to the next generation. Rachelle noted that during
her research, she read several of the books with her own son, and the stories resonated just as powerfully as they did decades ago. The themes remain timeless, continuing to offer comfort, clarity, and connection across generations.
Even though Blume declined to be interviewed for The Genius of Judy, she fact-checked the manuscript – underscoring the depth of care and accuracy Rachelle brought to telling her story.
Where to Learn More
Rachelle encourages listeners to find The Genius of Judy wherever books are sold and to follow her Substack newsletter, Banner Year, which tracks the escalating crisis of book banning in America.
“I love hearing from readers,” she said. “Especially those who care about freedom, truth, and the stories that shape us.”
About Rachelle Bergstein
Rachelle Bergstein is a lifestyle writer, bestselling author, and editor with a focus on style, pop culture, and families.
Her latest book, The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood For All of Us (Simon & Schuster, July 2024), became a USA Today bestseller and was selected as a notable nonfiction pick by LibraryReads. Praised as “ground-breaking” by BookPage and “lively and important” by the Los Angeles Times, it has also received positive reviews from Kirkus, The Wall Street Journal, and The Skimm. Available from most major outlets including Amazon. CLICK HERE
Bergstein is also the author of Women from the Ankle Down: The Story of Shoes and How They Define Us (HarperCollins, 2012), which was described as “wickedly provocative” by Kirkus and “fleet-footed” by The New York Times, and was named one of Janet Maslin’s top beach reads for Summer 2012.
Her second book, Brilliance and Fire: A Biography of Diamonds (HarperCollins, 2016), was called “exhilarating” by The Wall Street Journal and was selected as
one of Amazon’s top nonfiction titles of June 2016. The book was also included in best-of summer reading lists by Harper’s Bazaar and The Knot.
Bergstein’s work has been translated for readers across Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and South America.
She spent five years as a features editor and reporter for the New York Post, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg View, Forbes, Wirecutter, LitHub, among other outlets.
Bergstein has been interviewed for 99% Invisible, NPR’s Weekend Edition and Marketplace, and has appeared on WSJ Lunch Break, Bold TV, and Yahoo Finance. Inspired by Judy Blume’s advocacy against book bans, she currently tracks the modern book banning crisis on her Substack, Banner Year.
She lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her husband and their son.
Bergstein is represented by David Halpern at David Halpern Literary Management (david@halpernliterary.com) and her publicist is Joanna Pinsker at Simon & Schuster (Joanna.Pinsker@simonandschuster.com). She can be reached at rachellebergstein@gmail.com.
https://www.rachellebergstein.com/
About Margaret Mary O’Connor
Margaret Mary O’Connor, as a member of the Catholic Laity, thought she knew everything about the Catholic Church, at least until she came upon a centuries-old Scandal of lies and cover-up by the Hierarchy of that Church. Frankly, she was fed up being lied to by her own Church, about its own past Church’s History on Women priests. With that realization, she truly felt in that moment, the monumental feeling of betrayal by her own Church.
Follow Margaret, as she travels down this Highway of Radical Truth where lies and outright coverup will be disclosed. Millions of Catholics are unaware of that past presence of Women Bishop’s, Women Deacons, as well as Women Priests, all there hiding in plain sight, in Early Church History.
As the complicity of this centuries-old Scandal continues, Margaret wants her fellow Catholics to learn the actual truth of this matter for themselves. She strongly believes, at minimal, any Catholic deserves the actual truth of this matter. To say that change is needed is hardly an understatement. She doesn’t let the Church’s betrayal stop her from uncovering some very fascinating Church Skeleton’s – one which very well might help solve our current priest shortage issue today.
Margaret Mary O’Connor has been called, “The Modern Day David” on many occasions. On a mission to reveal carefully guarded secrets of the Catholic Church, she unveils the truth through her well-researched writings.
Author of Scandal in the Shadows and Journey of a Celiac’s Soul, Margaret Mary is a force to be reckoned with.
