From the Bookshelf of Reading List Completists…

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

Judy Blume

Start date: February 1, 2020

Finish date: February 29, 2020

Discussion: Group Reads

Why we're reading this: February 2020 Completist Selection
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Group Reads

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What Members Thought

Feb 05, 2020 Matthew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, completist-book-club, classic, favorites, young-adult

What a powerful little book. Sure, it is a coming of age story about a pre-teen girl in the late 1960s, early 1970s, but it feels like a story with lessons and ideas that are important to everyone in any era. I can see why this is on many must read lists.

Simply written – it can be read in one or two sittings. This is a great thing for those looking for a quick and entertaining read in the midst of a busy schedule. No great commitment is required to get through this one. And, you may find more co What a powerful little book. Sure, it is a coming of age story about a pre-teen girl in the late 1960s, early 1970s, but it feels like a story with lessons and ideas that are important to everyone in any era. I can see why this is on many must read lists.

Simply written – it can be read in one or two sittings. This is a great thing for those looking for a quick and entertaining read in the midst of a busy schedule. No great commitment is required to get through this one. And, you may find more content in 150 pages than you sometimes get in 400 to 500 pages!

Another important element of this book that is very applicable to everyone today is the pressures Margaret goes through – social, religious, relationships, etc. She just wants to live, but people are filling her head with lies and arguments that make it difficult for her to make decisions for herself. All it does is make her miserable. This reminds me of how some people seem to be willing to treat others today (especially with the anonymity of the internet). While it isn’t everyone, it seems like many people like to force their opinions down people’s throats and make them feel bad about their own feelings. Those people don’t consider – or don’t care - how this makes others feel. It makes me very sad! And, it made me very frustrated for Margaret!

Side note related to the comment above: The key plot of the story is Margaret trying to decide which religion she wants to be – if any. I was reading online that this book has been censored and banned in some places because of its take on Christianity. As a Christian myself, this is ridiculous – and the behavior of the Christians in the book is ridiculous. No one should be made to feel bad about exploring what feels comfortable to them and, if they decide one thing over another, that is their choice and no one else’s business. The way she is treated in this book I am not surprised she responds the way she does!

I recommend this book to everyone. I think it will teach us all a lot about how we should treat each other, and it is a good reminder that we are all human, no matter what our differences are.
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307 likes · Like · see review

Feb 01, 2020 Eileen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020genrechallenge, audiobook, 2020, 2020-ng-group-challenge, realistic-fiction, classics, teen-young-adult, childrens

Okay, this was a blast from the past and I'm glad I decided to pick it up. I wasn't sure what to rate it originally, because I feel like today's girls are generally more informed than Margaret and her friends. That said, I think this book took on 3 different particular issues, only one of which I remembered (getting your period and growing boobs, lol). Besides that obvious one, there is also the issue of believing rumors and the hurt it can cause and the issue of religion in a child's/person's l Okay, this was a blast from the past and I'm glad I decided to pick it up. I wasn't sure what to rate it originally, because I feel like today's girls are generally more informed than Margaret and her friends. That said, I think this book took on 3 different particular issues, only one of which I remembered (getting your period and growing boobs, lol). Besides that obvious one, there is also the issue of believing rumors and the hurt it can cause and the issue of religion in a child's/person's life. I'm glad Margaret learned about the damage of rumors and she started stepping back or stopping herself at times and seeing her own unkind actions and words, though I wish there had been a little bit more about her apologizing to Laura in the book. It felt kind of like that was kind of glossed over once she realized the mistake she had made. I feel like perhaps she should have written Laura a note or talked to her in person after. For the religious aspect, I didn't remember that part at all, but after reading it, I am even more convinced that there are many adults (some parents, some just adult authority figures) who can do major damage in a child's psyche and healthy spiritual development when they treat children the way Margaret's maternal grandparents treated first her parents and then Margaret herself. Even Margaret's paternal grandmother was a bit rigid in her way of thinking when it came to religious views. While I applaud her parents for letting Margaret choose, I do think they could have exposed her to different types of faith much earlier. But my personal view is that if we do follow a faith that is important to us, we should expose our children to our faith as much as possible, not just in bringing them to religious services, but also with how we live our lives. And while we can encourage them in our faith, ultimately, it's their faith that is important and that's something they have to figure out for themselves.

LOL, I think I might have gotten off track. Suffice it to say that reading this as an adult, I've probably gotten something very different from it than when I was a little girl! ...more

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Apr 29, 2014 RachelvlehcaR rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, young-adult, 02-group-reads

As a child I would have loved reading this book. Reading it now, there is some really funny moments and at times took me back to memory lane. Like finding our first pile of naked ladies in the woods or in my dad's stash. This book actually covers a lot of topics in a preteen girl's life, even if a lot of it is totally outlandish. I didn't know any female that wanted to have her period. We actually all never wanted it. Nor would I shout for my mother for help or announce it to everyone that I sta ...more

1 like · Like · see review