think I picked up
"Are you there
God? It's Me,
Margaret" at some Elementary School book fair, and I read it at least 10 times during my pre- and young-teen years. Through Margaret, the author, Judy Blume, spoke to me and all my doubts about my changing (or not changing) body, God, navigating parental conflicts, the precipitous nature of female friendships, and more.
I went on to read many of Blume's works: Deenie, Blubber, Tiger Eyes, Then Again Maybe I Won't, and Forever…, to name just a few. Each book found me when I needed them and their lessons – specific but not pedantic. Kids can be mean sometimes, but that doesn't mean they are bad people. Adults make mistakes. Boys have crazy feelings, too. Friendships are complicated. Relationships are complicated. Life is complicated. Life is so complicated.
These and many others were my lifelines when this socially-awkward kid needed an escape. Nobody seemed to mind that it was OK to be alone as long as I was tucked away reading. The habit of losing myself in books has persisted into adulthood; now, with more Audible books than paperbound, I'm sad to admit, but words and storytelling have not lost their appeal.
The recent scourge of book bans led by right-wing conservative schools and library boards is disturbing but not new. My friends and I passed 'underground' books like contraband because even in the 1980s, the topics were considered controversial. (Menstruation! Breasts! Erections! Masturbation! Teen angst! Teen sex!) Contemporary issues are even more shocking to those who do their best to keep adolescents and anyone else from possibly crossing some invisible line of morality. (Racism! Queer identities! Indigenous histories! Gender fluidity! Women's rights! Puberty! Sexual assault! Drug use! Profanity! Nazi atrocities!)
The irony is that once a book is considered 'Challenged,' it typically experiences a surge in popularity, and many classics are among the most banned books. Famously banned Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury said, "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."
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