“The
best books come from someplace inside. You don't write because you want to, but
because you have to.” – Judy Blume
Born in New Jersey on Feb. 12, 1938, Blue is one of the first YA Genre writers to take on topics others
treated as taboo, like menstruation, teen sex and death. She became a catalyst for the movement of controversial topics being
expressed in children's and/or YA literature. And while taboo to some she was a hero to
many, many others. Her books -- which
include the bestsellers Are You There
God? It’s Me, Margaret, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and Blubber -- have now sold nearly 100
million copies. 
She said she was
a great reader and storyteller as a child.
“I loved to read, and I think any child who loves to read
will read anything, including the back of the cereal box, which I did every
morning,” Blume said.
After earning a degree at NYU, she
started her family, and then had her first novel published in 1969. While the American Library Association named
her one of the most frequently challenged authors of the last 50 years, she
also won the ALA’s Margaret A Edwards Award for her lifetime contributions to
young adult literature. And she's been recognized
as a Library of Congress Living Legend.
“It's all about your determination,
I think, as much as anything,” she said.
“There are a lot of people with
talent, but it's that determination.”
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