In 2015, Blume published what appears may be her final book. In the Unlikely Event, a novel for adults, is based on real events – three plane crashes in less than two months, very close to where Blume – then young Judy Sussman – lived. Because she remembered so little about these tragedies, it turned into a massive research project. The book has since been updated in one respect; originally, the period equipment was much more complicated, with belts and hooks. Now, the book describes adhesive pads, like the ones girls of my generation were handed by our moms or big sisters, on that very big day.

Deenie | Book by Judy Blume | Official Publisher Page | Simon Deenie | Book by Judy Blume | Official Publisher Page | Simon

Thelma Fenner, Deenie’s mom, says, “‘Deenie’s the beauty, Helen’s the brain.’” (Chapter one). What are her aspirations for her daughters? Explain why the girls don’t tell their mom how they feel about her expectations. How is Deenie’s dad her ally on this issue? At what point do the girls rebel against their mother and her dreams for them? Thelma Fenner— Deenie's mother. Telling just about everyone that "Deenie's the beauty, Helen's the brain," she pushes her daughters towards careers that she believes are best suited for them, whether they like it or not. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Much of my memory of childhood is fuzzy, but I remember exactly where Margaret lived in my elementary school library: the shelf it was on and the spot on the carpet where I spent oodles of time, cross-legged, reading it. I’m not sure I have ever wanted to own a book so badly. I had very few books at home, mostly inherited from my big sisters. And the purse-strings were tight in my family. So I didn’t ask. Maybe I knew my parents would balk at buying a novel they thought I would just grow out of. Maybe I was afraid to ask them for this particular book. That said, overall I was truly impressed with everyone's kind and reasonable response to Deenie's affliction: starting with the heroine's best friends, followed by Helen, and even Deenie's love interest... if in a somewhat questionable manner. But then there was also Mrs. Fenner, who just needs to be throttled: three separate doctor's appointments and she still suspects her daughter's bad posture is intentional! Another one of everyone's childhood favorite, that I read too late in life, and thus failed to get on board the rave train with everyone else. I probably need a middle-grader to explain all the hype, or just stop reading any more books aimed at this age group. Blume, who speaks her mind, was criticized recently after a U.K. newspaper published an interview with her with the headline: “I’m behind JK Rowling 100 per cent.” Blume clarified with a tweet that her words were taken out of context; her point was that she can empathize with a person who has been harassed online. “I stand with the trans community and vehemently disagree with anyone who does not fully support equality and acceptance for LGBTQIA+ people.”

Deenie: Book Summary – Judy Blume Deenie: Book Summary – Judy Blume

Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year the American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other recognitions include the Library of Congress Living Legends Award and the 2004 National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Author Judy Blume points to a poster for the film adaptation of her groundbreaking young adult book. ROB O'NEAL/AFP/Getty Images Joe Roscow— Helen's sweetheart. He works at the gas station with Frank but aspires to be a forest ranger and a poet. Thelma has him fired not long after he and Helen are caught together.When Deenie finds out that she has scoliosis, she’s scared. When she sees the brace for the first time, she wants to scream." A failed cheerleading audition gets Deenie sent to the doctor, where she's eventually diagnosed with scoliosis, doomed to wear a brace for the next four years. I say doomed, but it's mainly her mother getting needlessly excited over it, not that her ignorance isn't utterly painful and enraging to watch. At the same time, beyond Deenie's immediate bonus of getting to drop the modelling auditions, is the uncomfortable revelation that she is now one of the handicapped kids, that she's been avoiding all these years.

DEENIE | Kirkus Reviews

Barbara Curtis— A new friend of Deenie's; she suffers from eczema, which causes nearly everyone else to ostracize her. Deenie herself had not wanted to associate with Barbara initially, but having to be Barbara's partner in gym class allows Deenie to get to know her better. Deenie is named after the character Natalie Wood played in Splendor in the Grass. The movie itself was mentioned in description in the book, though the name of the movie was not. Deenie is one of the Judy Blume books I didn't read as a kid, and I was absolutely in love with everything about this book. (She's named after Natalie Wood in Splendor in the Grass! Judy Blume never says the movie by name, but it's totally that one! [That's probably because you don't really want the target audience to look up a movie where the main character goes crazy because of sex, right?]) Eileen Rappoport— Deenie's gym teacher. She notices something strange about Deenie's posture, and her phone call to the Fenner home regarding this leads to Deenie eventually being diagnosed with scoliosis. I was desperate, I needed a creative outlet. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t,” she says. After publishing two books, she thought, “Okay, hmmm, now I know how to do this thing. Or I think I know how to do it. Now I’m just going to let it rip.”

Sadist Teacher: Deenie’s sewing teacher, Miss Wabash, who is “100 years old and very mean.” When Deenie had forgotten an assignment because she had gotten fitted into and was getting acclimated to her Milwaukee Brace over the weekend, Miss Wabash is unsympathetic. Not only does she consider Deenie’s excuse invalid, but she also says that she will only give half credit if Deenie does make up the assignment. Deenie Fenner— The main character. Thelma's plans for Deenie to become a model are in jeopardy when Deenie is diagnosed with scoliosis. I was a good girl with a bad girl lurking inside,” Blume tells the film-makers. Born to a middle-class Jewish family, she toed a conventional line, wearing sweater sets and attending Sweet Sixteen parties and marrying her college sweetheart. It was while raising her own family in New Jersey that she began to write, a habit that did not earn the admiration of her neighbors or even her husband. He took a patronizing view of her efforts and appreciated that it was less expensive than a shopping habit.

Deenie - Wikipedia

Blume could have just written about an average girl getting scoliosis, but she threw in another issue some teens will relate to - parents who try to shape their kids into what they want them to be. Mothers who separate children by talents. "Deenie's the beauty, Helen's the brain." In fact, Blume based the inspiration off of meeting a 14 year old girl who wore a brace and was adjusting, but her mother was the one on tears and coping poorly. Daddy's Girl: Deenie's far closer to her father than with her mother, mostly because he doesn't police her diet and posture and gives her breathing room to be a kid. The only time he puts his foot down with her is when he insists that she wears the Milwaukee brace to Janet's party. Although Deenie is initially upset, she later comes to admit that he's right. I too had the same diagnosis although mine was not severe enough to warrant a brace. I wonder though how I'd have felt if it had. And it came pouring out. I mean there was just no struggle because I was just letting it all out,” she says. “I can put myself in that room just like that.” She pauses, makes an emotional little “ha” sound, and waves her hands. “It was such a thrill. It was so wonderful to get up in the morning and know that I had this thing that I really, really wanted to do.”Blume left that unhappy marriage, married again, divorced again, and finally met and married Cooper.