Judy Blume Forever

Judy Blume stands as one of the most beloved authors in the United States—and one of the most banned. The writer of such beloved young-adult novels as Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, Blubber, and Forever is the subject of Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s touching documentary portrait of an artist who continues to make teenage girls feel seen with her frank depictions of puberty and budding sexuality. Judy Blume Forever is a poignant slice of the origins of what is now considered YA writing, as well as a heartwarming reminder of the power literature wields in inspiring children to better understand themselves, the world around them, and even their changing bodies. Yet the documentary insists on seeing Blume’s story as necessarily intertwined with the waves of book censorship that flared up during the Reagan administration and continue to be fodder in the culture wars of 21st century America, and that is where Pardo and Wolchok’s film finds its urgency as an evergreen warning. For lovingly sketching a feminist coming-of-age tale of this esteemed author and her readers alike, and for wrapping it up in a rallying cry in support of the power of reading, Judy Blume Forever receives a Peabody Award.