YPL Presents: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood, With Author Rachelle Bergstein

You’re invited to an online conversation with bestselling author Rachelle Bergstein as she chats about her newest book, The Genius of Judy. 

Register here for this special event.

Everyone knows Judy Blume.

Her books have garnered her fans of all ages and sold tens of millions of copies. But why were people so drawn to them? And why are we still talking about them today?

In The Genius of Judy, Blume's remarkable story is revealed as never before, beginning with her as a mother of two searching for purpose outside of her home in 1960s suburban New Jersey. The books she wrote starred regular children with genuine thoughts and problems. But behind those deceptively simple tales, Blume explored the pillars of the growing women’s rights movement, in which girls and women were entitled to careers, bodily autonomy, fulfilling relationships, and even sexual pleasure. 

Blume’s bravery provoked backlash, making her the country’s most-banned author in the mid-1980s. Thankfully, her works withstood those culture wars and it’s no coincidence that Blume has resurfaced as a cultural touchstone now. Young girls are still cat-called, sex education curricula are getting dismissed as pornography, and entire shelves of libraries are being banned. As we face these challenges, it’s only natural we look to Blume, the grand dame of so-called dirty books. 

The YPL Presents: Virtual Author series is funded and supported by the Foundation for the Yonkers Public Library.

About the Author: Rachelle Bergstein is a lifestyle writer, author, and editor, focused on style, pop culture, and families. Her work has appeared in the New York Post, The New York Times, NPR, and more. She is the author of three books: Women from the Ankle Down, Brilliance and Fire, and The Genius of Judy. She lives with her husband and son in Brooklyn. Find out more at RachelleBergstein.com.