“We must! We must! We must increase our busts!” My friends and I actually did these ‘exercises’ after reading the book. I was lucky enough to have Judy Blume in my middle school library. JB is a national treasure and the book banning that’s happening now is a shame because there are so few books that talk about the female experience of a preteen girl with empathy and candor.
I love how the movie really focuses on women in all stages, first bra and period, marriage, divorced / widow, working woman turned stay at home mom. It really was about connecting with people, womanhood and lived experience. It was a very good and relatable film with great acting.
I know Judy Blume for Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Stuff like a girl getting her first period and talking about religion is something you don’t usually see in a children’s book. I’ve never read this book for obvious reasons but even though it’s a book I can’t really relate to, I’m going to take your word it’s a good book. 70s were a time where womens’ rights were starting to get stronger. The book is clearly a product of it’s time. Good video Laura.
I agree about the movie being better than the book. Even Judy Blume said the film was better. I read the book when I was in elementary school in the 1970s and I was so pleasantly surprised by how well done the movie was.
@@WhytheBookWins She was so protective of the book for 50 years, but she said the filmmakers made a great pitch and she really liked their previous film, "The Edge of Seventeen," so she trusted them. She loves the film. I am so glad that they decided to keep it in the 1970's. While the themes are timeless, I don't think the storyline would translate well to a modern setting.
@@WhytheBookWins I also love the fact that Judy had a cameo role! "Just for the fun of it," she said! (In an early scene when Margaret had just moved to Jersey, Judy and her husband, George Cooper, were seen walking a dog in Margaret's new neighborhood, right past her house!) As a result, Judy appears in the film credits twice, once as the author of the book, and once as "Neighbor walking dog #1".
Loved the book as a kid and I absolutely adored the movie. I watched it with my 11 year old daughter and we laughed a LOT. The movie the is so relatable in many different ways.
As a GenXer, I remember reading all the Judy Blume books! I didn’t know they made Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret… into a movie! I’ll have to check it out!
@@WhytheBookWins ....no, but by an equally famous children's book author, who created many memorable and much adored characters! Ramona, Beezus, Ellen Tebbits, Henry Huggins, to name a few of her most admired. Beverly Cleary remains one of literatures most highly-acclaimed and much awarded authors, and remains a top-seller years after her passing. Another phenomenal children's book author, E.L. Koenigsburg, wrote: "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler", another coming-of-age novel that stands the test of time well over 50 years since publication.
This book always reminded of my mom bc she was girl in the 60s/70s in a heavy religious family. She was the youngest sibling and I feel like she was Margaret in so many ways, despite her name actually being Nancy 😅
I read this book in 1980. I was 10 years old and in 5th grade. I attended Catholic school and I never knew that other people did not believe in god or even questioned god's existence. Reading this book made me realize that I was not as weird as I thought. I never told anyone that I questioned god because I didn't want to feel like a complete outcast, but the book was enough to make me feel better. I am a 53 year old atheist who highly recommends this movie. It was perfectly done.
6:30 Yeah something that my friends who have one atheist/agnostic parent and one Christian parent did was they didn't bring up religion/faith at dinner unless the Atheistic one was the one to bring it up. Besides grace that is because the atheist parent did admit that the food seemed to taste better when blessed.
i loved are you there god its me margret movie was amazing i loved it better then the book. i think margret is chirstian i can tell the way she prays thats kind of like how i pray i am chirstian. i am like marvret no you don’t want your period its not fun but i wanted my period at that age too i relate to margret the most
I read several Judy Blume books growing up but for some reason skipped the one. I think i may have thought it was sacreligous or something. I wish i read it tho i would have related with the girls on the period stuff cause I didn’t get mine till i was 14 and it was hard and embarrassing hearing all my friends talk about it and here i was. I did act like i got it sometimes tho to fit in I ended up getting it at school too and was so excited to tell my mom but she had something to do that day and her friend picked me up from school. I read the book when i was watching the movie. I started book and watched movie midway thru book. I liked both but maybe movie a bit more cause i love Kathy Bates
The thing that I love about this movie adaptation is that there aren’t any actors that seem out of place. I was happy that they didn’t cast famous actors for Barbara’s parents. It would’ve felt really gimmicky and ruined that climactic scene
I wasn't really interested in the movie at t now i think I'll watch it. I read the book years ago when i was 10 or 11, i remember a little about it. My mothe loved Judy Bloom.as a child so.she bought my sister and i a few her books when we were young. This is the only one i rememberreading. As usual, watching this channel is making me want to revisit it.
As an older Gen Xer growing up in the rural southern U. S., 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." was in some ways the best Sex Ed we had. We had one gender-segregated assembly in junior high which focused on periods for us girls. The boys' talk seemed to have been more interesting; afterwards they shared the scintillating information that the popular sportswear brand Adidas stood for All Day I Dream About Sex. 🤣🤣🤣 Mind you, even though I read 'Margaret' avidly like all the other girls in my class, I was definitely NOT looking forward to getting my period. I wasn't trans, but if I'd known about puberty-blocking drugs I would have wanted them, just because I just didn't feel ready for all the changes of puberty, and would have loved to put them off for a few years.
I did not enjoy my periods very much when I was young, even though I was well prepared for the first time and initially excited about it. (I was almost 13 when it started, and I had read this book and been in a discussion about it with my teacher and the girls earlier that year.) They were heavy and messy, forcing me to wear only dark-colored pants to school and sleep with both a high absorbency tampon and a thick pad. Twice I had to leave school early because of it, once for an embarrassing accident and once for terrible cramps. The issue got so bad that it strained relations with my parents and college roommates/suitemates, who felt that I was not mindful of my personal hygiene. Finally, a campus gynecologist suggested that I go on birth control pills to lessen the flow and reduce cramps. I stayed on them until I got married in 2009. It was a nuisance, but well worth it in the long run, because I am the proud mom of two beautiful, healthy children.
“We must! We must! We must increase our busts!” My friends and I actually did these ‘exercises’ after reading the book. I was lucky enough to have Judy Blume in my middle school library. JB is a national treasure and the book banning that’s happening now is a shame because there are so few books that talk about the female experience of a preteen girl with empathy and candor.
Lol yeah that part was so funny! And yeah, it's ridiculous to ban Blume books!
I love how the movie really focuses on women in all stages, first bra and period, marriage, divorced / widow, working woman turned stay at home mom. It really was about connecting with people, womanhood and lived experience. It was a very good and relatable film with great acting.
Completely agree!
I know Judy Blume for Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Stuff like a girl getting her first period and talking about religion is something you don’t usually see in a children’s book. I’ve never read this book for obvious reasons but even though it’s a book I can’t really relate to, I’m going to take your word it’s a good book. 70s were a time where womens’ rights were starting to get stronger. The book is clearly a product of it’s time. Good video Laura.
I agree about the movie being better than the book. Even Judy Blume said the film was better. I read the book when I was in elementary school in the 1970s and I was so pleasantly surprised by how well done the movie was.
Oh I didn't know Blume said that! That's cool she liked the movie so much 😊
@@WhytheBookWins She was so protective of the book for 50 years, but she said the filmmakers made a great pitch and she really liked their previous film, "The Edge of Seventeen," so she trusted them. She loves the film. I am so glad that they decided to keep it in the 1970's. While the themes are timeless, I don't think the storyline would translate well to a modern setting.
@@mindfulness123 edge of 17 is an amazing movie! I should watch blume’s film
@@WhytheBookWins I also love the fact that Judy had a cameo role! "Just for the fun of it," she said! (In an early scene when Margaret had just moved to Jersey, Judy and her husband, George Cooper, were seen walking a dog in Margaret's new neighborhood, right past her house!) As a result, Judy appears in the film credits twice, once as the author of the book, and once as "Neighbor walking dog #1".
Loved the book as a kid and I absolutely adored the movie. I watched it with my 11 year old daughter and we laughed a LOT. The movie the is so relatable in many different ways.
That's so sweet! 😊
As a GenXer, I remember reading all the Judy Blume books! I didn’t know they made Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret… into a movie! I’ll have to check it out!
Yeah! And it's so good, I think of you like the book you will for sure like the movie!
Still have my Judy Blume collection. Deenie and Forever are particular favourites
Really enjoy your channel and podcasts! Book vs movie suggestion: The Talented Mr. Ripley
I've actually already filmed that one! It will be up in a couple weeks! And glad you like the channel 😁
I was wondering since you covered Are you there God? Will you cover Ramona and Beezus?
I hadn't been planning on it. Is it similar to this one?
@@WhytheBookWins No. It was about an older sister learning to love her younger sister. Who drives her completely crazy
@@WhytheBookWins ....no, but by an equally famous children's book author, who created many memorable and much adored characters! Ramona, Beezus, Ellen Tebbits, Henry Huggins, to name a few of her most admired. Beverly Cleary remains one of literatures most highly-acclaimed and much awarded authors, and remains a top-seller years after her passing. Another phenomenal children's book author, E.L. Koenigsburg, wrote: "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler", another coming-of-age novel that stands the test of time well over 50 years since publication.
This book always reminded of my mom bc she was girl in the 60s/70s in a heavy religious family. She was the youngest sibling and I feel like she was Margaret in so many ways, despite her name actually being Nancy 😅
I read this book in 1980. I was 10 years old and in 5th grade. I attended Catholic school and I never knew that other people did not believe in god or even questioned god's existence. Reading this book made me realize that I was not as weird as I thought. I never told anyone that I questioned god because I didn't want to feel like a complete outcast, but the book was enough to make me feel better. I am a 53 year old atheist who highly recommends this movie. It was perfectly done.
Thanks for sharing you experience with the book! Glad you liked the movie as well 😊
6:30 Yeah something that my friends who have one atheist/agnostic parent and one Christian parent did was they didn't bring up religion/faith at dinner unless the Atheistic one was the one to bring it up. Besides grace that is because the atheist parent did admit that the food seemed to taste better when blessed.
yeah that makes sense
@@WhytheBookWins Hey blessing the food is something I swear by as imo it works.
@@davidfitzpatrick6535 yeah I'm someone who believes in that as well!
i loved are you there god its me margret movie was amazing i loved it better then the book. i think margret is chirstian i can tell the way she prays thats kind of like how i pray i am chirstian. i am like marvret no you don’t want your period its not fun but i wanted my period at that age too i relate to margret the most
I read several Judy Blume books growing up but for some reason skipped the one. I think i may have thought it was sacreligous or something. I wish i read it tho i would have related with the girls on the period stuff cause I didn’t get mine till i was 14 and it was hard and embarrassing hearing all my friends talk about it and here i was. I did act like i got it sometimes tho to fit in I ended up getting it at school too and was so excited to tell my mom but she had something to do that day and her friend picked me up from school. I read the book when i was watching the movie. I started book and watched movie midway thru book. I liked both but maybe movie a bit more cause i love Kathy Bates
Yeah that age can be tough for so many reasons! And yeah, the performances were so good, I'm a fan of Kathy Bates too
The thing that I love about this movie adaptation is that there aren’t any actors that seem out of place. I was happy that they didn’t cast famous actors for Barbara’s parents. It would’ve felt really gimmicky and ruined that climactic scene
So true! The casting was excellent
I wasn't really interested in the movie at t now i think I'll watch it. I read the book years ago when i was 10 or 11, i remember a little about it. My mothe loved Judy Bloom.as a child so.she bought my sister and i a few her books when we were young. This is the only one i rememberreading. As usual, watching this channel is making me want to revisit it.
Yeah i really enjoyed both but I liked the movie even more than the book actually!
Wow, Margaret was originally a blonde. I always thought or at least pictured her as a brunette.
As an older Gen Xer growing up in the rural southern U. S., 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." was in some ways the best Sex Ed we had. We had one gender-segregated assembly in junior high which focused on periods for us girls. The boys' talk seemed to have been more interesting; afterwards they shared the scintillating information that the popular sportswear brand Adidas stood for All Day I Dream About Sex. 🤣🤣🤣
Mind you, even though I read 'Margaret' avidly like all the other girls in my class, I was definitely NOT looking forward to getting my period. I wasn't trans, but if I'd known about puberty-blocking drugs I would have wanted them, just because I just didn't feel ready for all the changes of puberty, and would have loved to put them off for a few years.
Lol I remember hearing the Adidas thing when I was in school too. Thanks for commenting!
I did not enjoy my periods very much when I was young, even though I was well prepared for the first time and initially excited about it. (I was almost 13 when it started, and I had read this book and been in a discussion about it with my teacher and the girls earlier that year.) They were heavy and messy, forcing me to wear only dark-colored pants to school and sleep with both a high absorbency tampon and a thick pad. Twice I had to leave school early because of it, once for an embarrassing accident and once for terrible cramps. The issue got so bad that it strained relations with my parents and college roommates/suitemates, who felt that I was not mindful of my personal hygiene. Finally, a campus gynecologist suggested that I go on birth control pills to lessen the flow and reduce cramps. I stayed on them until I got married in 2009. It was a nuisance, but well worth it in the long run, because I am the proud mom of two beautiful, healthy children.
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