Editing Judy Blume (section)

==Biography==

=== Early life ===
Blume was born Judith Sussman on February 12, 1938, and raised in [[Elizabeth, New Jersey|Elizabeth]], [[New Jersey]], the daughter of homemaker Esther Sussman (née Rosenfeld) and dentist Rudolph Sussman.<ref name=":17" /> She has a brother, David, who is five years older.<ref name=":19">{{Cite web|title=Judy Blume|url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/blume-judy|access-date=2020-12-10|website=Jewish Women's Archive|language=en}}</ref> Her family is [[American Jews|Jewish]].<ref name="JWA">Gottlieb, Amy. [http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/blume-judy "JUDY BLUME b. 1938"]. ''Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia''. Jewish Women's Archive (jwa.org). Retrieved December 10, 2010.</ref> Blume witnessed hardships and death throughout her childhood.<ref name=":19" /> When she was in third grade, Blume's older brother had a kidney infection that led Blume, her brother, and her mother to temporarily move to Miami Beach to help him recover for two years. Blume's father stayed behind to continue working.<ref name=":19" /> Additionally, in 1951 and 1952, there were three airplane crashes in her hometown of Elizabeth ([[1951 Miami Airlines C-46 crash]], [[American Airlines Flight 6780]], and [[National Airlines Flight 101]]). 121 people died in these crashes, and Blume's father, who was a dentist, helped to identify the unrecognizable remains. Blume says she "buried" these memories until she began writing her 2015 novel ''[[In the Unlikely Event (novel)|In the Unlikely Event]]'', the plot of which revolves around the crashes.<ref>Brown, Helen. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/11628475/In-the-Unlikely-Event-by-Judy-Blume-review-a-slice-of-life.html "In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume, review: 'a slice of life'"], ''The Guardian'', June 2, 2015.</ref> Throughout her childhood, Blume participated in many creative activities such as dance and piano.<ref name=":20" /> Blume describes her love of reading as a trait passed on by her parents.<ref name=":20" /> She has recalled spending much of her childhood creating stories in her head.<ref name=":18" /> Despite the love of stories, as a child Blume did not dream of being a writer.<ref name=":21" />

Blume graduated from the all-girls' [[Battin High School]] in 1956, then enrolled in [[Boston University]].<ref name=":20">{{Cite web|title=Judy Blume|url=https://www.biography.com/writer/judy-blume|access-date=2020-11-03|website=Biography|date=September 23, 2019 |language=en-us}}</ref> A few weeks into the first semester, she was diagnosed with [[mononucleosis]] and took a brief leave from school.<ref name="blumeabout" /> In 1959, Blume's father died.<ref name=":19" /> Later that same year, on August 15, 1959, she married lawyer John M. Blume, whom she had met while a student at New York University.<ref name="pryor" /> She graduated from [[New York University]] in 1961 with a [[bachelor's degree]] in Education.<ref name="pryor" /><ref name="blumeabout">{{cite web|last1=Blume|first1=Judy|title=Judy's Official Bio|url=http://www.judyblume.com/about.php|website=Judy Blume on the Web|access-date=March 11, 2015}}</ref>

=== Adult life ===
After college, Blume gave birth to daughter Randy Lee Blume in 1961 and became a homemaker.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tracy|first=Kathleen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FhM0s7SzecoC&q=John+Blume|title=Judy Blume: A Biography|publisher=Greenwood|year=2007|isbn=978-0313342721|location=New York City|page=152}}</ref> In 1963, her son Lawrence Andrew Blume was born. Blume began writing when her children began nursery school.<ref name=":19" /> John M. Blume and Judy Blume were divorced in 1975. (John M. Blume later died on September 20, 2020.) Shortly after her separation, she met Thomas A. Kitchens, a physicist. The couple married in 1976, and moved to [[Los Alamos, New Mexico]] for two years for Kitchens' work.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flaste |first=Richard |date=1976-09-29 |title=Viewing Childhood As it Is |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/29/archives/viewing-childhood-as-it-is.html |access-date=2023-08-24 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> They divorced in 1978.<ref name="green">{{cite magazine |last=Green |first=Michelle |date=March 19, 1984 |title=After Two Divorces, Judy Blume Blossoms as An Unmarried Woman—and Hits the Best-Seller List Again |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20087381,00.html |magazine=People |access-date=December 10, 2010}}</ref>

A few years later, a mutual friend introduced her to George Cooper, a former law professor turned non-fiction writer. Blume and Cooper were married in 1987.<ref>Richards, Linda L. (2008). [http://januarymagazine.com/profiles/blume.html "Judy Blume: On censorship, life, and staying in the spotlight for 25 years"]. ''January Magazine''. Retrieved December 10, 2010.</ref> Cooper has one daughter from a previous marriage, Amanda, to whom Blume is very close.<ref name=":10" />

In August 2012, Blume announced that she was diagnosed with [[breast cancer]] after undergoing a routine [[ultrasound imaging|ultrasound]] before leaving for a five-week trip to Italy.<ref name=":22">{{cite web|last=Kindelan|first=Katie|date=September 5, 2012|title=Judy Blume Shares Breast Cancer Diagnosis|url=http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/judy-blume-shares-breast-cancer-diagnosis-184521283--abc-news-celebrities.html|access-date=September 6, 2012|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}</ref> Six weeks after her diagnosis, Blume underwent a [[mastectomy]] and breast reconstruction.<ref name=":22" /> Blume was cancer-free following this surgery and able to recover.<ref>"Judy Blume 'Stronger' After Cancer Surgery." ''The Windsor Star'', September 7, 2012.</ref>

Randy Blume became a therapist with a sub-specialty in helping writers complete their works.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Today|first=Psychology|title=Randy Blume, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, Cambridge, MA, 02138|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/100847|access-date=2020-12-10|website=Psychology Today|language=en-US}}</ref> She has one child, Elliot Kephart, who is credited with encouraging his grandmother, Judy Blume, to write the most recent "Fudge" books.<ref name="blumedouble">{{cite web|title=Double Fudge|url=http://judyblume.com/books/fudge/double.php|website=Judy Blume on the Web|access-date=April 5, 2016}}</ref> Lawrence Blume is now a movie director, producer, and writer.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lawrence Blume|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089756/|access-date=2020-12-10|website=IMDb}}</ref> As of 2021, Cooper and Blume resided in [[Key West]].<ref name="lessons in love">{{cite news|last=Whitworth|first=Melissa|date=February 8, 2008|title=Judy Blume's lessons in love|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3670951/Judy-Blumes-lessons-in-love.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3670951/Judy-Blumes-lessons-in-love.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=May 12, 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-01|title=Author Judy Blume: "There Is Hope" After Husband's Diagnosis|url=https://www.pancan.org/stories/author-judy-blume-there-is-hope-after-husbands-diagnosis/|access-date=2021-07-12|website=Pancreatic Cancer Action Network|language=en}}</ref>

===Career===
A lifelong avid reader, Blume first began writing through New York University courses when her children were attending preschool.<ref name=":20" /><ref name=blumeauthor>{{cite news|title=How I Became an Author|url=http://judyblume.com/about/author/author.php|website=Judy Blume on the Web|access-date=April 5, 2016}}</ref><ref>Goldblatt, Jennifer. [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/nyregion/blumes-day.html "Blume's Day"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 14, 2004. Accessed October 1, 2015. "It wasn't until after Ms. Blume had gotten her bachelor's degree in education from New York University in 1961, was married and raising her son, Larry, and her daughter, Randy, and living in Plainfield and later Scotch Plains, that she started to commit her stories and characters to paper, cramming writing sessions in while the children were at preschool and at play."</ref> Following two years of publisher rejections, Blume published her first book, ''[[The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo]]'', in 1969.<ref name=":11" /><ref>Singh, Aditi. "The Legendary Author Judy Blume." ''Home News Tribune'', May 27, 2009. {{ProQuest|438149868}}</ref> A year later, Blume published her second book, ''[[Iggie's House]]'' (1970), which was originally written as a story in ''Trailblazer'' magazine but then rewritten by Blume into a book.<ref name=":11" /> The decade that followed proved to be her most prolific, with 13 more books being published.<ref name=":19" /> Her third book was ''[[Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.]]'' (1970), which was a breakthrough best-seller and a trailblazing novel in young adult literature<ref name=":18" /> and established Blume as a leading voice in young adult literature.<ref name=":20" /> Some of Blume's other novels during the decade include ''[[Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing]]'' (1972), ''[[Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great]]'' (1972), and ''[[Blubber (novel)|Blubber]]'' (1974).<ref>{{cite web|title=Paperback - The Best-Selling Children's Book of All-Time|publisher=Infoplease.com |url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0203050.html|access-date=May 15, 2009}} Through 2000. Reprinted from ''Publishers Weekly'', copyright 2002.</ref>

In 1975, Blume published the now frequently banned novel ''[[Forever... (novel)|Forever]]'', which was groundbreaking in young adult literature as the first novel to display teen sex as normal.<ref>Cart, Michael. "Young Adult Literature." Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature, edited by Bernice E. Cullinan, and Diane Goetz Person, Continuum, 1st edition, 2005. Credo Reference, https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/kidlit/young_adult_literature/0. Accessed 13 Nov. 2020.</ref> Blume explained that she was inspired to write this novel when her daughter, 13 years old at the time, said she wanted to read a book where the characters have sex but do not die afterward.<ref>Coburn, Randy S. "A Best-Selling but Much-Censored Author / from Sex to Scoliosis, Judy Blume's Frank Topics are both Favored and Feared: [FINAL Edition]." ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (pre-1997 Fulltext), August 12, 1985, p. 15. {{ProQuest|301915454}}</ref> These novels tackled complex subjects such as family conflict, bullying, body image, and sexuality.<ref name=":18" /> Blume has expressed that she writes about these subjects, particularly sexuality, because it is what she believes children need to know about and was what she wondered about as a child.<ref name=":18" />

After publishing novels for young children and teens, Blume tackled another genre—adult reality and death.<ref name=":23" /> Her novels ''[[Wifey (novel)|Wifey]]'' (1978) and ''[[Smart Women]]'' (1983) reached the top of [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]].<ref name=":23" /> ''Wifey'' became a bestseller with over 4 million copies sold.<ref name=":23" /> Blume's third adult novel, ''[[Summer Sisters]]'' (1998), was widely praised and sold more than three million copies.<ref>Lopez, Kathryn Jean (September 30, 2000). [http://www.nationalreview.com/weekend/books/books-lopez093000.shtml "Early Blumers: In defense of censorship"]. ''[[National Review Online]] Weekend''. ''[[National Review]]''.</ref> Despite its popularity, ''Summer Sisters'' (1998) faced a lot of criticism for its sexual content and inclusion of homosexual themes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Judy Blume {{!}} Biography, Books and Facts|url=https://www.famousauthors.org/judy-blume|access-date=2020-12-10|website=www.famousauthors.org}}</ref> Several of Blume's books appear on the list of top all-time bestselling children's books.<ref name=":23">{{cite web|title=Biography of Judy Blume|url=http://incredible-people.com/biographies/judy-blume/|website=Incredible People: Biographies of Famous People|publisher=incredible-people.com|access-date=March 11, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150311175456/http://incredible-people.com/biographies/judy-blume/|archive-date=March 11, 2015}}</ref> As of 2020, her books have sold over 82 million copies and they have been translated into 32 languages.<ref name=":21" /> Although Blume has not published a novel since 2015 (''In the Unlikely Event''), she continues to write.<ref name=":6" /> In October 2017, Yale University acquired Blume's archive, which included some unpublished early work.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/about/news/judy-blume-archive-strengthens-beinecke-young-adult-collections|title=Judy Blume Archive Strengthens Beinecke Young Adult Collections {{!}} Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library|website=beinecke.library.yale.edu|date=October 7, 2017 |language=en|access-date=October 10, 2017}}</ref>

As well as writing, Blume has been an activist against the banning of books in the United States.<ref name=":19" /> In the 1980s, when her books started facing censorship and controversy, she began reaching out to other writers, as well as teachers and librarians, to join the fight against censorship.<ref name=":13" /> This led Blume to join the [[National Coalition Against Censorship]] which aims to protect the freedom to read.<ref name="pryor" /> As of 2020, Blume is still a board member for the National Coalition Against Censorship.<ref name=":21" /> She is also the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation.<ref name="pryor" /> Blume serves on the board for other organizations such as, the [[Authors Guild]]; the [[Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators]]; the [[Key West Literary Seminar]]; and the National Coalition Against Censorship."<ref name=pryor/><ref name=blumeabout/> In 2018, Blume and her husband opened a non-profit book store called Books & Books located in Key West.<ref name=":21" />

Blume calls herself a "liberal [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Interview with Judy Blume |url=https://www.maxraskin.com/interviews/judy-blume |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=Interviews with Max Raskin |language=en-US}}</ref>