Judy Blume Forever

I came upon this documentary purely by accident, and I'm so glad I did. Judy Blume and her books are inextricably linked to my childhood and for that I'm so grateful. The first book I read on my own, for pleasure, was Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, in 1978 at 7 years old. For the next couple years I discovered and devoured the rest of her catalog at that time. It didn't matter to me that most of her books centered on girls. I also became a voracious reader because of Judy, and sought out similar books only a few authors were writing, like Norma Klein and Paula Danziger.

Apart from the documentary's particular meaning to me, it's really well done and incredibly informative and entertaining. Judy is so humble, sweet, open, and thoughtful. A genuinely caring soul. There's a treasure trove of photos and clips from past interviews, and commentary from some well-known Judy Blume fans. I got choked up numerous times learning about all the letters she's received over the last 5 decades and the special correspondence she has with some of her (very lucky) fans.

The ridiculous controversy about some of her books (which caused libraries and bookstores to "ban" anything she wrote) that's waxed and waned over the years is also explored, and it's inspiring to learn how Judy has dealt with that blowback and still manages to stay true to herself.

Watching this wonderful doc also sparked some great memories, and I learned so much about the genesis of many of her works. An absolute must for any Judy Blume fan and really for anyone who grew up appreciating young adult books that spoke to them about certain things we all do but receive mixed messages about. Highest recommendation!

As someone who grew up with Judy Blume books, this documentary was very important and very powerful. To hear Judy Blume speak so poignantly about her own life in terms of the messages she wanted to share was amazing.

Granted, as a former avid reader of her books, this documentary was very moving. To the uninitiated, it might come off as abrasive. She is honest and upfront with the challenges her life and family held for her.

At one point she discusses the value of the word fuck. Most parents would argue the word doesn't belong in a book meant for children. She provides not only explanation but honest justification for using the word.

Judy Blume changed the world for many young people when books were all we had.

I loved getting to know the woman who wrote all those incredible books. She literally helped me through puberty and all of high school.

Every book has a wonderful story then at the end you feel better and confident that whatever your going through you will be ok. That's a comfort to someone who as a kid or teenager you didn't see past what was going on in my life. I really appreciate the tribute to this wonderful woman.

Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are the best at whatever they put out whether it's movies or documentaries.

I absolutely recommend this documentary to all ages. You will enjoy it.

Thoroughly watchable documentary of a beloved author. Never met Judy before but I connected to her through her books. Tiger Eyes being my favorite. The documentary was interesting especially when focused on the backlash her books faced in the Regan era. Also interesting to see was the amount of fan mail she received and that she kept the letters! As usual the "gatekeepers" at Prime same as at Netflix, Hulu, etc made sure to insert their plight into the documentary about a 83 year old woman who writes books. A huge turn off for me, but thankfully I was able to fast forward through certain sections. A must watch if you are a Judy Blume fan.

As a teen, I read books like "Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret" and "Then Again, Maybe I Won't" and marveled at how matter-of-fact certain subjects not previously discussed in other fictional books I read were explored. I later read the more mature book "Forever..." and thought how author Judy Blume had grown as a writer. I also read another book about her that told how many of those of her novels were banned because of those certain subjects. So I was very interested in this documentary when I discovered it on a recent flight. As her fame grew, Ms. Blume gets interviewed by many of the famous talk show hosts of the time and also appeared in "Crossfire" where she debated with conservative figure Pat Buchanan who she didn't even know about previously. But the most touching parts is when she reads letters from many teen girls including a couple of those young women who wrote to her for years to the point that they both agreed to appear in this film talking of how much of an influence she had on them. Had she not decided to write for a living, Ms. Blume would be just another of those housewives just raising her kids and tending to her hubby when he gets home from work but that wasn't what she was comfortable with, that's for sure! She'd eventually leave her first spouse and after failing with her second, she'd eventually find true happiness with a third one who had a daughter who knew of his new wife's work. Ms. Blume herself had two offspring who eventually grew proud of her work. At 83, she seems happy now living in Key West, FL, running a book store where she proudly has on display inside the sign "We sell banned books" which I'm guessing includes her own! As a astute observer of adolescent life, Judy Blume Forever is aptly named.