The quiet brilliance of Judy Blume

Who needs vampires, werewolves, and blood sport? Judy Blume thrived by writing what's real.

Judy Blume
(Image credit: John Munson/Star Ledger/Corbis)

Thank you, Judy Blume.

Without Judy — yes, I've read enough of her books to feel like we're on a first-name basis — generations of young readers would never have been introduced to Margaret, Fudge, Deenie, or Sally. None of these characters were extraordinary beings like the stars of today's YA books — Margaret never had to go out and kill other kids for sport, Fudge wasn't a vampire or a werewolf, and he certainly didn't sparkle — and that's why they've always resonated with readers. They were just normal kids — our friends, our siblings, ourselves.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.