‘Judy Blume Forever’ Highlights The Author’s Struggles, As Well As Her Lasting Impact On Readers And Society As A Whole

Not five minutes into the documentary about her life, renowned author Judy Blume proclaims with fervor, “A book cannot harm a child.”

The rest of the film, entitled Judy Blume Forever, works to prove this point.

Given that Blume has been fighting censorship since the ‘70s, it’s no surprise that the author of several widely-read books that feature narratives about teens struggling with body image, puberty, and sexuality, is still vehemently opposed to the continued calls for banning books.

With her novels, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Deenie, and Forever, among others, Blume has taught generations not to be ashamed to talk about sexual topics, including those that many consider taboo. She’s included everything from menstruation to masturbation in her unique stories, as told through complex, yet extremely, relatable characters.

Now, Judy Blume Forever tracks not only the author’s life and commitment to her craft, but the impact that her work has had on readers for decades.

Co-directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok admit the amount of work that Blume published made it a bit tricky to structure the film, with Wolchok explaining, “Judy wrote over 25 books over the course of her career. So, we knew that there was no way we could cover all of them.”

What the duo did, says Wolchok, was, “we chose a small number of her books that hit on the themes that we wanted to present in the film. So, we really looked for books that intersected with moments in her personal life.”

To do this, they used the books to frame Blume’s personal ‘coming of age story.’

“We started with the Fudge [book] series, which is about childhood, and then moved to Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,’ which is about the start of adolescence,” explains Wolchok. “Then we moved to books about adolescence, and then the books Judy wrote for adults, like when she was leaving her marriage of 16 years. This was all part of our thought process when we were coming up with the list of books to include in the film.”

Interspersed with thoughts from Blume herself, the film also features commentary from other authors, and from fans who detail how Blume’s works have impacted their lives.

Particularly moving, are the readers who corresponded with Blume for years, with the author often becoming a fixture in their lives.

Wolchok says that, “from the beginning we knew we wanted to include some of the letters that kids had written to Judy. We knew that she had published a book called Letters to Judy: What Your Kids Wish They Could Tell You.”

What she says she and Pardo didn’t realize until well into filming was the true depth of the relationships that Judy had with some of the letter-writers.

“They were girls who were feeling like they had nowhere else to turn, so they wrote Judy, and she wrote back. Judy was their lifeline. I think that was one of the most surprising and extraordinary parts of working on this film — telling the stories of those letter-writers and their connection with Judy.”

When Pardo and Wolchok began making the film nearly three years ago, talk of book banning wasn’t quite as fervent as it is currently, but what’s happening now certainly ties into Blume’s journey, says Pardo, explaining, “[The topic] was in our minds from the beginning, but we had no idea how bad things were going to get. It started to build [when we were editing]. Now, it’s even worse than it was then, but it was always a big part of this story.”

To provide a bit more context, she adds, “You know, when Judy’s books were being attacked in the ‘80s, it was more about what some felt were those ‘taboo topics’ that she addressed in her work. Now, it’s much more about books being written by authors who are queer, transgender, who are black and brown. So, we felt it was important for the film to address that because it also tells you something about what censorship is all about.”

To Blume’s assertion that ‘a book cannot harm a child,’ Pardo points out, “What we really know is that, a book can save a child. We are not serving our children by trying to, ‘protect them’ from the things that scare us as adults. Even if book banning isn’t happening in your community, you should be aware of what’s going on in different communities around the country. It really is so important that people speak out, otherwise it’s not going away.”

Politics aside, Pardo says that what the film really does, in evaluating Blume’s evolution, is, “it shows how Judy Blume found her voice, and in finding her voice had this huge ripple effect on generations of readers. She’s inspired, and continues to inspire, millions of readers to do the same — to find their voice, and to learn to use it.”

With the many layers exhibited in Judy Blume Forever, Wolchok implores viewers to, “sit on your couch, turn on the movie and watch a compelling story about a woman who fought back against societal expectations to be emotionally honest and who taught us all that it’s okay to be vulnerable and make mistakes.”

She adds, “Then maybe you can turn off the TV and have an emotionally honest conversation with someone in your life that you might not have had, or maybe you’ll write a letter to someone that you’ve always wanted to ask a question have been too afraid to ask because you were afraid of what the answer might be. It would be a beautiful thing if someone, somewhere saw the film and thought. ‘oh, I’m gonna think about myself and everyone in my life a little bit differently and I’m going to approach them with a little more vulnerability and honesty — the way Judy Blume did.’”

‘Judy Blume Forever’ will be available for streaming beginning Friday, April 21^st on Prime Video.