Are You There God? It's Me Margaret

published	2001 by Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
first published	1970
binding	Hardcover
isbn	0689841582 (isbn13: 9780689841583)
pages	160
description	If anyone tried to determine the most common rite of passage for preteen girls in North America, a girl's first reading of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret ...more [close] If anyone tried to determine the most common rite of passage for preteen girls in North America, a girl's first reading of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret would rank near the top of the list. Judy Blume and her character Margaret Simon were the first to say out loud (and in a book even) that it is normal for girls to wonder when they are ever going to fill out their training bras. Puberty is a curious and annoying time. Girls' bodies begin to do freakish things--or, as in Margaret's case, they don't do freakish things nearly as fast as girls wish they would. Adolescents are often so relieved to discover that someone understands their body-angst that they miss one of the book's deeper explorations: a young person's relationship with God. Margaret has a very private relationship with God, and it's only after she moves to New Jersey and hangs out with a new friend that she discovers that it might be weird to talk to God without a priest or a rabbi to mediate. Margaret just wants to fit in! Who is God, and where is He when she needs Him? She begins to look into the cups of her training bra for answers ... [close]
date added	01-16-07 edit book

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Jon rated it:

04/04/08

bookshelves: children-s-lit

recommends it for: no one

The book seemed to focus an awful lot on the fact that margaret didn't have a religion, but i have found her annoying character more interesting. I was really annoyed that she didn't learn almost ANYTHING at the end of the book and is still the same obsessively worrying girl focused almost entirely on the opinions of others and her peer society rather than her own thoughts. I do not know why this book has been so popular with a complete lack of character development and a compelte lack of dia...more The book seemed to focus an awful lot on the fact that margaret didn't have a religion, but i have found her annoying character more interesting. I was really annoyed that she didn't learn almost ANYTHING at the end of the book and is still the same obsessively worrying girl focused almost entirely on the opinions of others and her peer society rather than her own thoughts. I do not know why this book has been so popular with a complete lack of character development and a compelte lack of dialogue, by the narrator or the characters, in criticism to the whiny judging and generally stupid characters that inhabit this book.

I had never read Are you there God? It’s Me Margaret before. I remember reading some Judy Blume in 6th grade as it was required and hating it. Starting this book, I was immediately thrown into a sort of disarray. Margaret’s excessively wordy and obsessive dialogue made it hard to follow at first until I got used to it. However, I think it accomplished its purpose of showing how obsessive Margaret is with little details of everything and how much she worries. How she dresses, how others dress, what she’s thinking, if others are thinking in the same way. It struck me that many of the girl’s comments were designed to obtain information to judge people on. All of their interactions were predicated on this idea, to find out what a person is made of, what makes them think, and are they normal. Their other actions were designed to be defensive against this constant environment of assessment. Margaret constantly asks herself if others will think that she is normal. “I hoped he decided I was normal” (Blume 39). Wearing Bras, disclosing secrets about boys, not wearing socks and concurrently hurting one’s heels gives the book the impression that all the girls are on a war ground, where judgments fly like bullets, and the girls believe that they are as hurtful as bullets. Margaret likes Moose, “But what would Nancy think, she hated him.” (Blume 40). She obsesses over what to write on her little character information sheet in classs. A little ice breaker, she is obsessing over it and everything else. She puts the only answer she can think of that is unattackable, a comment of no substance, “I think Male teachers are the opposite of Female teachers” (Blume 28).

I raised my right eyebrow at Mr. Benedict. I can do that really good. Raise one without the other. I do it whenever I can’t think of anything to say. People notice it right away. Some people actually ask me how I do it. They forget what we were talking about and how I do it. What I do is think about it and the eye-brow goes up. I can’t do it with my left. Only my right. (Blume 38).

On this battlefield, Margaret is new and unskilled.
Margaret worries about everything as a result of this judging environment, wishing to be judged as good and normal. She is probably worrying for other reasons, such as a simple habit in worrying, but these other issues that must be present are not presented. “I hate people who call you dear” (Blume 41). She is worrying about everything and more importantly, letting all these little details worry her. I wished I had a huge walk-in closet with a light and a lock. But I managed anyway” (Blume 137).
Interesting situation occurred when at the end of the book Margaret comes to the same conclusion that many of the readers come to, that Nancy is not the best person in the world. Certainly she is continually snotty throughout the whole novel. She comments that she sounds like Nancy, how awful. Even though she was spending so much time with Nancy, she never had a great opinion of her.
Throughout the book Nancy excepts an external locus of control. She is always praying to God and hoping that things turn out right. I would submit that her constant prayer to God is an important literary tool and an important element of the book. However, it strikes me that she could have learned that she is in control of certain elements in her life and not in control of others and learn to accept that and ease her obsessing. I was disappointed that she didn’t seem to learn this lesson.
I found her most important character development was in her comment “As long as I love her and she loves me, what difference does religion make?” (Blume 141). This is a terrific sentiment and her development really leads into it. However, in her letter to Mr. Benedict she comments that she wishes a religion was thrust on her, that she did not have the opportunity of independent thought on the subject. Certainly this sentiment mirrors her lack of confidence and security in herself and her abilities and her worries. Her character is somewhat summed up in this letter.
Ultimately, I thought the large number of thoughts going on in Margaret’s head could be the source for endless discussion and learning in the classroom. Middle school boys would have serious problem relating to the book and concurrently staying focused. They would laugh often at the references to busts and periods, and this must make it very difficult for the book to be read in class. I thought Margaret could have developed more as a character. I wished they could have addressed her constant worrying and the continually judging of the girls.

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Tiphany rated it:

01/31/08

Read in January, 1993

recommends it for: People who use the word "menses".

Oh, how I do miss the 1970 edition of this book. Somehow the cute little cover girl of the new edition, what with the sparkling eyes and her head in the clouds, doesn't express the loneliness and contemplative nature of Miss M. in the same way the little girl with lank brown hair and brown knee socks did. And how else can one completely alarm and overwhelm a modern 10-year-old about the mysteries of the pubescent female body without the mention of the belt?

When I first read the book...more Oh, how I do miss the 1970 edition of this book. Somehow the cute little cover girl of the new edition, what with the sparkling eyes and her head in the clouds, doesn't express the loneliness and contemplative nature of Miss M. in the same way the little girl with lank brown hair and brown knee socks did. And how else can one completely alarm and overwhelm a modern 10-year-old about the mysteries of the pubescent female body without the mention of the belt?

When I first read the book, not only was I terrified of getting my first period, especially at school, but I thought I at least had the basic mechanics down of all the necessary accoutrement. After reading "Are You There...", a frantic me had to spend 20 minutes in a Walgreens, reassuring myself that this mythical "belt" contraption no longer existed, and was completely unnecessary. And even then, it wasn't until age 12 that I was completely satisfied.

In 2006, they "updated" the book to include the mention of "sanitary napkins" instead of "menstruation belts," and I somehow find that incredibly wrong. "Are You There..." is a phenomenal book, more for Margaret's quest to understand the workings of the life around her (inter-religious household; crazy relatives; despondent fathers; nutty friends; and 15-year-olds who are just too hot to handle), than for her journey through early pubescence. But to fundamentally alter a portion of that journey seems a bit extreme. So what if a curious kid wants to know what a belt is? Most parents, even the young ones, can handle that question. Even I can answer it now!

I just think... "Are You There..." was so much more than the period episode. It was more deftly written than many adult novels I've read. We don't go scrambling to change every work that falls behind the times as far as cultural references are concerned, so why this one? Women didn't start having periods in the 00s, and part of the beauty of the outdatedness of it all was that, for me (after the shock and horror), it reminded me that I was connected to an incomprehensible number of women through history in this one tiny way. And that felt good, as saccharine as that sounds. ...less

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Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0440404193)

05/04/07

bookshelves: once-upon-a-time

Read in January, 1980

I first read this book in kindergarten. After getting into an argument with the PTA lady running the school book fair about whether or not I could buy the book (I thought she was trying to imply that I couldn't read it, which I found insulting) - an argument that was ultimately settled by a call home to my mom - I brought the book home and read it all on a Friday night. Up past my bedtime, I snuck downstairs, where my parents were entertaining friends, and announced that I had a question about...more

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Qian rated it:

(review of isbn 0440404193)

05/28/08

Read in February, 2008

As for all the teenagers who are in the state of moving to an adulthood, then this is the right book for you because this book Are You There God?It's Me Margaret is about this girl named Margaret who just moved to New Jersey with her parents. Moving to New Jersey which means everything is going to change for her such as going to a new school and meeting up with new friends.
Fortunatly for Margaret who meet up with her first friend Nancy on the first day of her into her new house and was very ha...more

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Margaret rated it:

02/07/08

Read in May, 1984

Well, I am trying to make my reviews of books cohesive to say the least. May I just say that this was truly (don't laugh!) a life changing book for me. First of all, clearly, my name is Margaret. Second of all, I was quite the bookworm in my adolescent days. And to say this book is targeted toward young women on the verge of pubescence/adolescence AND this particular character shared my name (Margaret, get it?) says quite a lot!

I actually had a written correspondence with Judy Blume when I w...more

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Drama-queen-jay-bird rated it:

(review of isbn 0440404193)

03/19/08

In the book Are you There God it’s Me Margaret there is a girl named Margaret who moves to New Jersey because of her dads job. She’s new to the neighborhood and meets and close by neighbor named Nancy. Nancy talks to Margaret a lot and Margaret doesn’t know about all the thing they talk about. When they get to school they have classes together and she meets the rest of Nancy’s friends. In the story Margaret goes through a lot and she asked good about most of the stuff she does. This boo...more

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Jasmine rated it:

05/12/08

Read in April, 2008

this book is called Are you there God? it's me Margaret by judy blume.i love this book, it is told from a teenager's point of view; her embarrassing, angry,lucky moments. i learnt from this book that sometimes we should always listen to gossips with a pinch of salt. if we blurt out something wrong, especially when you are not sure,the person might get offended and angry because it is false.

this story is about a girl called Margaret, who have moved from New York to New Jersey. Her mother was ...more

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Maggie rated it:

05/06/08

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Maggie by: Elizabeth Striz, Penelope Striz, Debbie Striz, et al.
recommends it for: young girls or boys and adult girls and boys.

I hadn't read this book as an adolescent and found it in a box in the garage a few weeks ago. I think my Grandmother gave it to me after finding it on her shelf a few years ago - still several years past adolescence for either of us. After The Time Traveler's Wife, I thought this might be a quick read that could set me on a different thought line than the former.

This book has stood the test of time because it does characterize pretty well what female adolescence is like. There's silliness an...more

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Bethany rated it:

02/17/08

Read in January, 1984

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Angelina. rated it:

06/24/08

bookshelves: anges-faves, classics-from-my-childhood, laff-o-lympics, summer-reading

I read this book while living in Greece and listening to Kasey Casem's top forty. I remember that "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was the number one song and I also remember Casey telling the story of Bonnie Tyler's vocal dramedy and comeback. What does it have to do with this book? Um, not much.

I was about ten, aleady had boobs and a period (both of which I wanted to jettison). I found the book amusing because I could relate to the religious power struggle that plagued our protag. A...more

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veganmama rated it:

06/17/08

bookshelves: fiction

Read in January, 1982

What didn't I learn from this book? Sheesh -- for a generation of girls raised in between the second and third waves of feminism, Judy Blume was nothing short of a Godsend. She answered all of the questions I was too afraid to ask, and my Baby Boomer mother was too self-involved to worry about what I was reading or what messages were therein contained. To say that she captured the zeitgeist of my generation is an understatement. Or mayb...more

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Imogen rated it:

06/04/08

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is about a girl called Margaret who's lived in New York City for all of her life, then she moves to the suburbs. She is faced with all the difficulties of puberty, for example her breasts forming late. She is also challenged with religion. All her friends are Jewish or Christian, but she doesn't have a religion.
The main characters are Margaret and her 3 friends Janie, Nancy and Gretchen. I liked Are You There God? It's Me Margaret because as well as being e...more

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Jessica rated it:

05/29/08

bookshelves: kidlit

I was not allowed to read Judy Blume as a kid, so of course I read any one of them I could find and hide from my mom. This is a fun one, one of the quintessential girl-growing-up books, and yet I had a bit of a hard time with it. You see, unlike just about every other girl (according to a number of books I read in the 1980's with young girl protagonists), I wasn't waiting with bated breath to get my period. Nope. Not interested. So books that revolved around finding out what that was like, ...more

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Jinbin rated it:

06/08/08

bookshelves: advisory-books

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: young teens

I have seen a lot of my friends reading this book, I decided to read it as well. I used to read books by written by Judy Blume, but it's a long time since I last read one. "Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret" talks about Margaret, the main character, having of faith in any God. Her parents have different religious views, and Margaret wants to search for the right one, the one that she truly believes. Other than that, she describes the changes that a girl goes through during puberty...more

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John rated it:

03/20/07

I read this book again very recently as part of a program in which volunteers help teach childen and adults who have difficulty with reading and comprehension to read for understanding and ulimately enjoyment.

The girl I was reading with was very moved by the book. I guess, I had taken it for granted. Blume clearly knows her audience and speaks to them. As a young, fat boy, I read Blubber and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (along with 1001 Arabian Nights) over and over under the covers...more

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Polly rated it:

12/27/07

bookshelves: advisory

Read in December, 2007

recommends it for: everyone

Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret is by Judy Blume, one of my favorite authors. Margaret the narrator but also the main character described the problem of not having any religious belief. Her mother is Christian while her father is Jewish. She went to different churches and search for the right one that she believes was close to god. She also describes the puberty changes of a girl to a lady of having period. The way how she think she doesn’t need religion to live, reminds me of myse...more

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Jessica rated it:

01/17/08

bookshelves: kids, women

This was the coming of age touchstone for my generation of girls growing up in the 70s (with that iconic purple cover showing Margaret and her hair), and coming across it in the library recently, I was thrilled and a little amazed to see how well it holds up. The highly-publicized tweaks to make self-adhesive the menstrual pads with belts didn't bother me at all, and no doubt makes it more immediate for a contemporary audience, where they might have viewed it as a relic. Blume captures pe...more

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Rebecca rated it:

07/07/08

Read in July, 2008

After I saw the book "Everything I need to Know about Being a Girl I learned from Judy Blume", I was curious. Was "Are you there God, It's Me, Margaret?" as good as I once thought it was. The answer - most definitely.

I have two older sisters, and this book sat on our bookshelf, taunting me. I was not old enough to read it. It was the forbidden fruit. Finally, I was allowed to read it. I thought I was so old! I thought the book was great then. But now?

I think i...more

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Tracy rated it:

12/10/07

I have mixed feelings about this book. No, I don't. I resent it miserably. I read this book when I was nine. I believed that my menstrual cycle would begin at the moderate age of twelve, and I like to be prepared for any contingency (I actually have an action plan in place just on the chance that some nutjob brings dinosaurs back to life and they start roaming the streets.)

Lo and behold, three months after reading AYTG? IMM, whammy! My life as a fertile female began. I've had it out fo...more

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Jenny rated it:

06/03/07

bookshelves: childrensbooks

i read this book as an adult and found it to be too funny and somewhat nostalgically painful. i guess that makes it a timeless classic of teen angst! the only thing i wondered was why everyone cared so much about getting their period. was it really like this when we were that age?

"Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret. I just did an exercise to help me grow. Have you thought about it God? About my growing, I mean. I’ve got a bra now. It would be nice if I had something t...more

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avg rating (this edition): 4.01 (5530 ratings)
number of reviews: 681

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