Author of Judy Blume book gives talk at bookstore in Maplewood

Judy Blume books were all Mark Oppenheimer read from ages 9 to 12.

What he loved about Blume’s books were the “realism.” He said he never wanted to read about dragons and aliens, which were geared towards boys his age.

Now, Oppenheimer has written about Blume. His most recent book, “Judy Blume: A Life” explores Blume’s life and novels. At Words bookstore, Oppenheimer spoke to a full room of Blume fans about working with Blume to put the book together.

In a Q&A style format, Oppenheimer was interviewed by Jordana Horn, who is a writer, journalist, podcaster, retired lawyer, and activist.
“Why Judy Blume?” she asked.

Oppenheimer, who authored five books, explained that his last book “Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting & the Soul of Neighborhood” was a sad story, but a hopeful book. “I was looking to do something light-hearted,” he said.

His original intent was to write about Ann Landers.

“A hugely important figure,” he said

In the midst of his project, Judy Blume reached out to him and said, “Let’s talk.”

Oppenheimer began the book in 2022 and he finished in 2025. During the three-year process, he spoke to more than 100 people and went through 130 boxes of correspondence. Each day between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. he read letters, faxes, emails, and year books. He conducted interviews with Judy and those closest to her.

He explained that Blume came from an upper middle-class family in Elizabeth. She went to public school and was popular. Her father was a delightful, attentive dad. She went to an all-girl high school. She married young and got pregnant soon afterwards. In her late 20s, Blume began looking for a creative outlet.

“She loved being a mother,” Oppenheimer said. “She wanted more. She said, ‘I had a lot of goals. That’s not something you could talk about with women at Shackamaxon (a country club in Scotch Plains).”

Blume’s book “Iggy’s House” started out as homework for classes she took at New York University. Horn said that the book is message oriented, about a family of color moving into the main character’s friend’s old house.

In response, Oppenheimer said that Blume was termed as a “problem novelist” by some critics and parent groups because her books candidly addressed taboo issues—puberty, menstruation, teenage sexuality—during the 1970s and 1980s.

Though Blume’s books are beloved, some say they are outdated. But Oppenheimer feels her books that are funny are timeless.

“My kids laugh out loud to the ‘Fudge’ books,” he said. “Comedy holds up over time.”

The 1970s were a dark time for books; there was S.E. Hinton with “The Outsiders”; Paul Zindel writing dark novels for teens; Beatrice Sparks penned “Go Ask Alice” about drug addiction.

That same decade, Blume wrote an adult novel, “Wifey.” It was five years after Erica Jong published “Fear of Flying” a mock memoir exploring themes of female desire, which became a bestseller and cultural phenomenon. “Wifey” had mixed reviews, with some saying the book would ruin Blume’s career.

When Oppenheimer began his journey writing the book, he went in not knowing much about the award-winning American author’s life.

“I was not an expert,” he said. “She has an astonishingly good memory.”

Mark Oppenheimer is the founding director of the Yale Journalism Initiative. From 2010 to 2016 he wrote the “Beliefs” column for The New York Times. He is the author of five books as well as the host of the podcast Gatecrashers.

Learn more about Mark Oppenheimer at: https://www.markoppenheimer.com/

“Judy Blume: A Life” can be purchased on Oppenheimer’s website or at Words Bookstore in Maplewood. To learn more about Words, visit: https://wordsbookstore.com/