Book #75: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Book #75: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

February 14, 2014


Okay, so I read a Judy Blume book or two back when I was the appropriate age to do so. In my own defense, I am a teacher, though this particular book would not be appropriate for any of my current students (all boys, age 12-17). I've written in this blog of my professional interest in YA literature, and of course several of the books on this "challenge" have been of that genre. Just because I'm no longer taking a course on it doesn't mean I won't read one every once in a while. And Judy Blume, of course, is one of the first great YA authors. Her most famous books (this one being probably her very best known) are aimed at adolescent girls, of course.

So I felt that this book had a lot in common with another Blume text that I remember reading years ago, Just As Long As We're Together. The main character in both books is waiting for (then gets) her first period. There's also conflicts with best friends, and some realistic family drama throw into the mix. I think that ...Together is quite a bit longer than this book, and I think I enjoyed this one more, if my memory serves me (though I think I read the other book more than once).

So, I saw some similarities between myself at age 11-12 and Margaret. Like her, I found myself thrown in with a new group of friends in the 6th grade. My family didn't move, but my school district restructured, and I found myself in a middle school class with mostly kids that I'd never met. I didn't eagerly await my period, though it was a topic of conversation amongst my friends. I also got my first period on the first day of summer vacation after 6th grade, same as Margaret at the end of the book.

Okay, so I'm making the book sound really stupid and boring, but unless you've been a young adolescent girl, you wouldn't get it. And that's not all that the book is about, of course. I was unlike Margaret in that I did develop early; but then again, this is a different time, and I definitely wasn't the only girl in my class wearing a bra by 6th grade. I found the animosity towards Laura to be interesting; the girls were obviously all jealous of her, so they (Nancy especially) would spread vicious rumors about her. Laura at one point tells Margaret that she's sick of people judging her for her body. Decades later, I'd like to think that young girls today would know better...but while the hormones that we eat have caused more girls to develop sooner, I don't think girls are any nicer than they used to be. If anything, they're more vicious and cruel; I don't think very many people would argue with me there.

I had a close group of friends, like Margaret, but I remember hating 6th grade. Maybe it had to do with my parents getting divorced that year. Their splitting up wasn't so much the issue; I always thought they should have done it sooner. But all the shit that goes along with divorce; I wasn't a happy kid that year. And I felt weird. I had friends, but I felt awkward around my classmates. I guess I've always been a little awkward around other people, though I'm no longer a self-conscious child. Margaret seemed like a fairly confident child, though she did bristle under her friend Nancy's somewhat overbearing ways. She didn't think that she was ugly; she would pray to develop breasts, but she didn't hate herself. It's kind of like Margaret had such a similar life to me, but much happier. Definitely a happier family life, even with the awkward situation with her mother's Bible-thumping parents.

I used to hate the title for this book, but now that I've finally read it, I can appreciate the spiritual and religious dilemma that Margaret takes on in this book. That's what really set this story apart from ...Together (I probably related more to Stephanie, because she deals with her own weight issues), giving it more depth. Even though this is a quick read, Margaret's reflections on her personal relationship with God are compelling. For a year-long project for her eager-to-please first year teacher Mr. Benedict (one thing that I could appreciate about this book that I never would have understood as a young reader was this character), she decides to address an issue that's always been present in her family. Her mother was raised Christian, her father Jewish. They decided, when their parents balked at the idea of them marrying outside their respective religions, to elope and be nothing. Margaret, of course, communicates with God, though she doesn't attend church or temple or anything. She feels pretty confident that she has a good relationship with God. She prays when she is scared, when she is grateful, when she wants to vent about her lack of boobies. She prays every night, it seems.

Well, for the project, Margaret decides that she will make a choice about which religion to be. She attends temple with her grandmother Sylvia (with whom she has a very close relationship) in New York; she goes to Christmas Eve services with Nancy and Sunday church with another friend (Janie, I think). Her initial intention for doing this is simple and pragmatic: she has to make a decision about whether to join the local YMCA or JCC; she has to join one or the other, it's said. Yet her spiritual journey has a deeper meaning, of course. She reports to God that she doesn't feel anything, that she doesn't feel him there when she's at these places. She ends up feeling confused about her beliefs, even renouncing God for a short time (but the miracle of her first period brings her back...you gotta love kids); seeking God through religion made her more confused than praying her own way.

I am not a fan of organized religion myself. I feel like I, too, have sampled different varieties over the years. I'm not quite as spiritual as Margaret; I might pray every once in a while. My beliefs about God boil down to this: if he's watching and expecting me to be a good person or something, I think I'm doing everything right. My goal in life is to help other people, to do my part to make the world better, and I think that, if there is a judgment day, I would have nothing to be ashamed of. And if God is the reason for my good fortune in life (because, as I recently told my sister, I feel very happy and fortunate), than I am very grateful. I have respect for religious beliefs of others, unless they're being rammed down my throat, or they're trying to get money from me. But I know about history to know how much religion ties in to politics and power; the Catholic church practically ruled all of Europe for hundreds of years. Church and state are theoretically separate in the U.S., but religion still ties in with power, of course. When I see people preaching hate, or stinking rich televangelists asking for money, I just feel disgusted.

The best message of this book is to approach religion in your own way. In this, Margaret's parents were wise. They seemed like happy, secure people. Hell, her dad even had his Playboy magazines lying around the house, and didn't make a huge deal about his daughter seeing them (though they weren't nearly as risque back then than they are now). Being happy and secure is the best way to raise happy, secure children. So there's the difference between young me and Margaret Simon. I was going through changes with an unstable home life; Margaret was facing the same changes with a supportive, loving family behind her. I do feel, though, like the difficulties of my early adolescence have made me a stronger, more sensitive person. And besides, at least I had boobs.